When the Cicadas Cry
by ruumpleteazah
Summary: Namine isn't one to believe in the supernatural. But when her twin Kairi starts acting a bit strange and blood starts to spill, she will have to suspend her disbelief to save them all - and avoid the evil fate that's been waiting for them all their life.
1. Prologue, The Necklace

**Hello! Lukia here! This is my KH AU Halloween themed short story fic, which has allusions to a few other series as well (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni anime, a book called Bad Girls Don't Die, etc. which you DON'T need to have background knowledge of to understand this fic). A little bit of OOC-ness from Kairi and a certain someone who I will not mention, and I will be using Japanese honorifics for that certain someone... **

**Anyway, hope you enjoy it!**

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><p><em>Prologue: The Necklace<em>

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><p><em>"Say you want, you say you need; you can take it all from me.<br>I'll call the debt one day. Marks of blood you'll have to pay.  
>Lost on trails of fear and spite, unrelenting, hopeless night.<br>This twisted dream will die When the Cicadas Cry."_

_~Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni, "When They Cry", ValliereVee's English lyrics_

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><p><em>~Fifty years earlier, Satsujin residence, 2 a.m.~<em>

A raven-haired girl gripped her cleaver-knife tightly, a psychotic smile creeping up on her face.

Her taller twin gripped the door handle tighter, willing it to open. It was locked. Just like the door was. Just like the closet was. No way out, not for her.

"Time to die."

Springing forward, the moonlight caught the youngest twin's weapon as she aimed directly for her sister's stomach. A rough dodge from her twin made the killer's eyes flare.

"Why…?" Cowering on the floor, the prey dared to gaze into her twin's crazed eyes.

"You've always been the best, stealing my spotlight. I told you your time was near, but you didn't listen."

"Sis—"

"_Shut up!_" The cleaver struck forward as the target parried again. The murderer was ridden with anger now. She wasn't here to play cat-and-mouse. Burning revenge made her see red as she pinned her sister to the hardwood, splintered floor with her knees and started to stab her repeatedly in the stomach, tearing through the nightshift she wore and into flesh, red stickiness covering the walls.

_Blood, blood spilling! You deserve it!_

The killer relished in the screams of agony; it almost felt like music to her as her victim's throat filled with blood, each cough splattering warm, sticky blood on both their faces. Was this what killing felt like? A rush of adrenaline, having all the power—

_Blood, evil, traitor, I HATE YOU! _

Almost as if on cue, the killer's victim shoved her twin off of her, sending her careening into the pristine white walls.

"Sh—Sh—" The killer's name wouldn't form on the wounded's lips as she laid there, blood pooling around her hair and running down her face.

The killer, satisfied, gave a mentally unstable giggle, and stood. Her sister would pay. Sixteen long years she had endured it; the being looked over, the relegation. She would no longer be just someone's twin, the lesser, the inferior…

Each step the crazed girl took was, to her, like walking on air; the feeling was exhilarating. Her sister laid at her feet, her breaths in short spasms, her hand clutched against her ripped-apart stomach.

"P-Please… I'm sorry, please… D-Don't…"

Bending down, the killer began to whisper in her twin's ear. _No mercy. Never._

"I warned you. I told you it would come to this. But your superior mind refused to listen. Now, you will pay for all those years, those years of pain I had to endure. Goodbye, my sister."

And in one swift motion, she slit the victim's throat.

The silence was deafening as the murderer stood, glaring down at the bloody, dead corpse. The tingling in her hands remained from the killing. It felt… good. Amazing.

Maybe…

Maybe she could go after the others…

"Hehehehe… _HAHAHAHAHA—!"_

She gasped, suddenly realizing that if she was caught, she'd never get the chance.

But, then again…

Moving as if in a trance, the killer set the stage. She slashed through the door with the cleaver, leaving a gaping hole. She smashed the window at the other end of the room, glass cutting her face as she did. Finally, she went to stand beside her mangled twin, pointing the weapon directly at her heart.

_If _I_ can't get away with killing, then why not someone else… later?_

A final, mad smile played across her lips before she plunged the cleaver into her chest.

As her body hit the floor, the cicadas started their mourning song.

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><p><em>~Present Day, a beach house, 4:17 p.m.~<em>

"Naminé! Come on!"

"One second, Kai!" The blond-haired teen threw her remaining things in her bag and hoisted it over her shoulder, briefly surveying her room to make sure she hadn't left anything. The bed was bare of sheets, the open drawers empty – _Time to head back home,_ she thought.

"Nami! Mom said—"

"Just tell her not to leave me here!" Naminé shouted back with a giggle, walking out the room and closing the door softly behind her. She leaned over the banister, gazing down at her twin, Kairi Mizu. The look on her face was sour, annoyed. Naminé said to her good-naturedly, "Go tell her I'm coming. I just wanted to make sure I had everything."

Arms crossed and brows furrowed, the redhead sighed and started out the door of the rental beach house. "Whatever… like Mom would ever leave _you_ here."

With a tug on her shirt, Naminé started down the wooden stairs. Kairi was just overreacting. What did she mean by that comment, anyway? Not that the two twins had ever been on good terms, but Naminé was sure that their mom loved both of them equally. Kairi could at least try to see that.

Soon, Naminé had closed the front door behind her and turned around to take one last look at the beach house her family had rented for the weekend. It was early October, and it was one of those rare warm weekends when the houses on the Destiny Island outskirts were actually available. They place her dad had chosen was a bit old, maybe a century, had chipped paint and slightly cracked windows, and was a bit dark in color for Naminé's liking. She was actually glad they were heading back to the city. Not that she didn't enjoy the trip, but…

The family van was heard starting up behind her, and Kairi gave one last attempt to get her sister to hurry up. "Nami! I wanna go home!"

Without bothering to reply – that might just start an argument – Naminé ran to the car, flinging open the back door and climbing in. She tossed her suitcase in the back and gingerly buckled herself in.

"Goody-two-shoes," Kairi mumbled as the van pulled off, the house growing increasingly smaller as Naminé looked out the window. She realized with a jolt that she'd forgotten to draw the house before she left. She hoped she could remember what it looked like so she'd be able to draw it when she got home.

Their mom, her long blond hair shining, turned around slightly in the passenger seat to address her daughters. "Did you enjoy yourselves, girls?"

"Mmhm," Naminé replied brightly, and Kairi gave a terse "Yeah."

"Did you find anything interesting?"

Naminé gave a small smirk as she watched the green pastures floating gently by on the side of the highway. Sure, the house was old, but that didn't mean there was a bucket load of treasures in it. Unless Kairi had gone exploring, being sneaky and scouring the attic. That would be just like her.

"I found some jewelry," Kairi added, and when Naminé heard jangling, she turned her attention away from the window to Kairi's hand. From her index finger hung a necklace with a charm, in the shape of a six-pointed star, gray in color. In the center of the pendant was a glittering blue jewel that caught the evening sunlight as they drove.

"That's beautiful, Kairi," their mom said as she turned around and turned up the volume on the radio. "Where'd you find it?"

"My room. The first night we were there." She tucked the necklace into her jeans pocket as her dad made an exit. With a pointed glance at Naminé, she continued, "I'm glad I was the one who found it."

Naminé, however, made no move to ask what she meant. _She's just in a bad mood, that's all. No need to make a fuss over a stupid piece of jewelry._

"Now, Kairi, be nice." Her mother reached back and patted Naminé's leg softly. The blond cringed. She knew how much Kairi hated it when their mom said that, because it really got Kairi irked.

But her twin made no sound, only crossed one leg over the other.

_Weird_, Naminé thought. Normally Kairi would blow up about how she was always treated the worst, and was always told to 'be nice', and then it would become a full-blown argument. Naminé shrugged and took it as maybe Kairi had had a change of heart.

The sun lowered to brush Naminé's face. She soaked up the warmth, knowing when she went back to school tomorrow it would be freezing cold. That was what October did, fluctuated its temperatures way too much. At least she could get away from that house. Though she wouldn't admit it, being there had scared her just a little bit. It felt… like something was watching her.

_It's all in my head,_ Naminé reassured herself._ Things will be fine once I get back home…_

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><p><em>~Mizu residence, 6:37 p.m.~<em>

The twins flew into their house's foyer at the same time, kicking off their shoes and scarring the hardwood. Naminé giggled as she tripped over her own feet and almost fell, but she grabbed the stair railing for support. The familiar smells of her house surrounded her nose. It felt great to be home.

"You girls better go unpack before it gets late," their mother warned, so Naminé started up the carpeted stairs with her suitcase, following her sister who was halfway to her room.

Naminé's room was on the same hall as Kairi's, though Naminé's was on the left and Kairi's on the right end. The blond turned into her room, passing the pictures of them as children on the wall before crossing the threshold. Her bag dropped from her hands as she went over to her bed and collapsed face-first onto it, not bothering to turn on the light. Warm and fluffy, Naminé relished in the comforter despite the heat of outside. Suddenly, the sound of the door creaking open was alerted to her ears, and she instinctively knew it was Kairi.

"What is it?" Naminé asked politely, turning over on the bed to stare at her sister in the doorway.

"Don't you _ever _think about touching my necklace, got it? If you do, what happens won't be pretty." Kairi's eyes flared in the darkness of the room; Naminé didn't recognize the message behind them, but despite that, she nodded in reply.

"Good." The door slammed behind her as Kairi walked out.

With a sigh, Naminé crossed her arms over her chest as she laid there. Kairi was getting all worked up over a _necklace_? That was odd, even for Kairi, who was Miss Weirdo Incarnate in her class last year. She decided the sun must have made her a bit tired and that's why she thought Kairi was acting so weird. There was just no other explanation.

Wearily, without bothering to unpack or trying to sketch the house, Naminé turned over and tried to go to sleep, Kairi's words ringing in her head.

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><p><strong>Please Review!<strong>

**~Lukia**


	2. The Sketch

**Hey again! Here is chapter one for you all! I hope you enjoy it, because it took me a while to write. We get to see a little bit of everyone in here - Sora, Roxas, Riku - and its (mainly) just a "Let's introduce everyone" chapter. By the end though... Sssh, can't tell! ^^**

**~Lukia**

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><p><em>~Chapter One - The Sketch~<em>

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><p><em>~Monday, October 17<em>_th__ – Mizu residence~_

The doorbell woke Naminé up, just like it did every typical Monday morning. With a smile on her face, she rolled the covers down to her feet and murmured, "Roxas is here…!"

Every school day since the blonde could remember, Roxas Hikari – her best friend since third grade – had faithfully walked the two blocks to her house just so he could wake her up and they could walk to school together. He always had a drink for her, usually a vanilla cappuccino or lemonade depending on the weather. With a squeal, she tucked the worries about Kairi away that threatened to penetrate her good mood, flung her legs over the bed, and checked the clock on her nightstand.

_Seven a.m. … Right on time. _She flipped on her bedside lamp.

"Nami? You there?" Roxas's voice, muffled by the front door, carried up to Naminé's ears.

"Just a second!" She called back loudly, going to her drawer and flinging it open, hurriedly pulling on a pair of comfortable jeans and a curve-fitting long-sleeved white top. She'd checked the weather yesterday; a chilly fifty-two degrees, just as she had expected. Maybe, she figured, the cold would numb her thoughts, just a bit, so she could focus on her schoolwork and not on her sister, like she'd been doing all night. _A necklace? I would've expected a… healthier obsession, _she thought, pulling on a hoodie and grabbing her hot pink bookbag from beside her door before walking out her room and shutting the door.

At the top of the steps, Naminé looked down to see Roxas pressing his hands against the front door's glass with a goofy grin on his face. She shook her head. Roxas was just so… Roxas-ish.

She held up a finger to tell him to wait and then continued down the dark hall to Kairi's room. The door slightly ajar, the room appeared, and sounded, dark and empty. But, knowing Kairi, Naminé figured she might be feigning having gone to school to keep her sister out. Curious, she peeked her head around the door.

A perfectly normal teenage room. Bed unmade, floor covered in stray clothes – but everything Kairi would've taken to school was gone. _Probably including that necklace,_ Naminé thought, staring at her twin's nightstand, where Kairi normally kept anything important to her, regardless of value. It was void of any objects.

Knocking on the door from her waiting friend made Naminé turn around, and when she did, metal was alerted to her sense of smell.

No, not metal…

Blood.

The girl's eyes widened. The smell wasn't coming from her room – she'd closed the door, as she could see, even in the almost darkness– but Kairi's room…

She turned back around. The door was closed, despite her not remembering closing it. Maybe she did. She was sure she didn't. Did she? She hoped she did.

_I'm paranoid. I'm paranoid, that's all! _

"Nami! I'm cold, let's go!"

"C-Coming, Roxas!" Without bothering to look back at the door, she flew down the steps, heart pounding a little faster than usual, unlocked the front door with the key under the rug, stepped outside, and shut the door quickly. She tried to hide her trembling from Roxas as she secured the lock again, but she failed miserably.

"What's wrong, Naminé? You look a little shaken up."

She tucked the key in her pocket, looking up into Roxas's warm, inviting blue eyes. "Nothing, just a little rushed this morning."

"Well, don't let _me_ rush you!" He replied brightly with a small smile, holding out a steaming travel mug for her.

She took it gratefully and let the warmth fill her hands. "Thank you."

They started down her driveway as Roxas wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "No prob."

It was a gloomy, cloudy and cold morning; Naminé shivered despite Roxas's warmth. As she ran a hand through her hair as a method of styling, she lifted the mug to her lips with her free hand and sipped slightly. _Vanilla,_ she crooned in her mind, the scare she'd had this morning slipping from her thoughts. The house they'd stayed in over the weekend suddenly popped into her mind; she realized she hadn't sketched it yet. _I'll start at school,_ she decided. _And maybe I can talk to Kai and see –_

"So how's Kairi?"

Jolted from her thoughts, Naminé jumped a bit as they turned onto the sidewalk, the wind pushing head on against her face. Squinting slightly, she replied, "Fine." But the word felt foreign on her lips. _Fine _would not be the word to use for Kairi at the present moment.

Roxas took his arm from around her and nudged her with his elbow. "Cat got your tongue?" He joked.

"No, I mean…" Naminé's thoughts were scrambled, leaving her helpless to form any sentences. Roxas was right, she was shaken up. "Kai's fine. I mean, her grades aren't all that great, we still get in fights a lot, and… well, she's fine." _Smooth, Naminé, _she chided herself, suddenly not cold anymore. She closed the travel mug and slid it into her pack.

"Oooookay, then~!" The spiky haired teen sing-songed, walking along at a brisk pace, glancing at the passing cars every so often. "Was your weekend good?"

"Yeah." Naminé said, "We rented that house out by the coast, remember?"

"Oh, yeah! That's right." Roxas stopped as the two reached a crosswalk, jamming his finger on the button that made the 'stop' signal change to 'walk'. The school was mere minutes away, the proud blue flag on the roof waving in the sky. "Was it nice? I hear the weather is beautiful down there these days."

Naminé tugged at the collar of her shirt nervously. Even the casual mention of the house sent cold sweat down her back. It scared her. "It was… pretty…"

"Mm. Wish I could've gone with you guys. But nooooo, Mom made me and Sora go camping…" The boy's face turned down into a scowl as the cars stopped to let them cross. He started across the street first, Naminé following behind silently.

Naminé shoved her hands deep into her pockets as the wind nipped at her cheeks. A small smile played at her lips as she thought of Roxas's equally energetic twin, Sora. He never ceased to have a bright smile on his face. Even the gloomiest day couldn't bring Sora down. Like today. Naminé was sure that Sora would be the ever eccentric, bubbly teen he always was. Maybe he'd help her get out of this creepy feeling she'd had today. He might have already helped Kai feel better too. Tell her that obsessing over necklace was weird. But Sora wouldn't do that. He'd just make her sister happy, like always. Naminé was glad that Sora was there to do the little things that she couldn't do… her heart leaped at the thought. As long as Kai was happy, she was happy.

Before long they had reached the school. Students poured into the opened, inviting doorways, chattering about their weekend and other various things. Roxas took Naminé's hand and started toward the two-story, many windowed building. "We don't wanna be late, Nami," he warned, glancing back at her.

She nodded and fell into step with him. She could feel it in the air; Kai was here, and, thankfully, not skipping school. Maybe her twin felt it too – the need to get away from each other and relish in the comfort of their respective friends-who-were-boys. Things would be fine. She shouldn't worry.

Swallowing hard as she shifted closer to Roxas, Naminé weighed her thoughts and came to a shocking conclusion – not worrying was what scared her most of all.

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><p><em>~Destiny Islands High School, First-year class 13B,7:15 am~<em>

When Roxas and Naminé entered the classroom, the setup was as it normally would be on a Monday morning in homeroom – Students straddled across and on desks, loud chatter, paper strewn everywhere. It wasn't too particularly Naminé's favorite scene, but oh well. As long as she wasn't the one who got in trouble.

"Nami! Rox! Over here!"

The aspiring artist turned her attention to the back of the room near the supply cabinet. She grinned when she saw Sora waving frantically back at her from sitting on a desk, and Kairi leaning against that same desk, staring at Naminé with cold, hard eyes.

Undaunted, Naminé started toward them, Roxas sprinting ahead and clasping his brother on the shoulder. She hopped on the desk next to Sora, listening to the twin boys' idle chatter about the Sunday football playoffs and other stuff she could care less for. Sitting in the chair next to the desk she sat on was Riku Kagayami, otherwise known as Mister I'm-Too-Cool-And-Smart-To-Be-Talking-To-You. He was smart, she'd give him that. He rubbed it in everybody's face… except Naminé's. She always said hello to him every morning, and he was generally cordial to her. Naminé hoped today was no different.

"Hey, Riku," she said, looking down at him and into his silver eyes framed by his long silver hair.

Arms crossed, he glanced up at her briefly before studying his palms. "Hey."

"Did you have a nice weekend?"

"Yeah. You?" He flashed one of his rare smiles at her.

"It was okay," she replied, smiling back.

Riku nodded and pulled a book out of his backpack, signaling the end of their daily conversation.

_At least something is normal today,_ Naminé thought, taking off her backpack and pulling out her sketchbook. There was at least twenty minutes until homeroom was over, and she had plenty of time to sketch the house.

"Nami."

She glanced up, seeing her twin in front of her. "Yeah, Kai?" she asked, trying to keep the shake out of her voice. After what had happened – ugh, she didn't even want to think about it – she felt weary around her twin.

"You don't have to come with me to the store today," she said, implying about the twins' weekly grocery trip. "I'm going alone so we can start rotating shifts, okay?"

"Um." Naminé glanced at her sister's shorts pocket. The gleaming necklace's chain dangled from it, bright in the overhead lights. "Sure." She wanted to reach for her pencil and start sketching, but her eyes just wouldn't remove from the necklace.

Cold sweat started on her neck and the room suddenly grew warm. _Am I sick?_ She asked herself, scary whispers suddenly ringing in her ears. A wave of slight dizziness washed over her. _Stop staring at it, Naminé!_

With effort, she blinked, turning away, and the world stopped spinning. Kairi gave an audible hiss. As Naminé glanced at her, she noticed her sister's eyes had become angry slits.

"Don't. Touch. It," her sister restated, putting emphasis on each word.

The blonde nodded furiously. "Y-Y-Yes. I u-u-understand." The shake in her voice returned, and Naminé had no control over her trembling. She gripped her sketchbook tighter and her knuckles turned white. Kairi didn't have to worry, she wouldn't be anywhere near that necklace _ever _again.

Her twin turned on her heel and walked away, as Naminé scrambled through her bag until she found a pencil. Drawing would help clear her mind, she was sure of it. Her legs crossed, she put pencil to paper and furiously started to sketch, starting with the body of the house.

_Skritch-skritch_ went the pencil, as Naminé drew the sides, the tattered roof, the upstairs windows and sills. Shades of grey pierced the page as she shaded the door, the intricate patterns of the walkway. Before long, Naminé had begun drawing scenes inside the windows. Upstairs two parents slept in their bed. The guest room was empty, void of any object. In the kitchen the stove lights blinked faintly. In the downstairs bedroom, in the lower left corner of the house –

She stopped abruptly, hands shaking.

_I can't draw that room. What's in there, it's scary. _Her heartbeat went at a wild pace as she stared at the drawn window just waiting to be filled with a scene. _There's – There's - No, no –_

Just as the bell rang signifying first period, she drew that window with the curtains closed, the scene just behind that barrier hidden from anyone's view.

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><p><strong>How was it? Reviews are appreciated!<strong>


	3. The Murder

**Hello! Sorry I'm a little late on updating, I've been sooo busy~ But! This chapter is where it get creepy (hence the chapter name) Hope you guys enjoy it!**

**~Lukia**

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><p><em>~Monday, October 17<em>_th__ – Mizu residence~_

"Come on, Kairi, hurry up and get home!" Naminé whined, turning over in her bed and glancing at her clock for the umpteenth time since Kairi had left for the store. The bright numbers read ten o'clock, causing the blonde to groan and run her hands through her hair. How long did it take to go pick up some groceries and head home? Kairi had left at six – that was plenty of time.

With a sigh, Naminé pulled the covers over her and snuggled in tight to keep the chill off, her gaze slowly adjusting to the penetrating dark of her room. There was no sense in waiting for her. She'd be home eventually. Naminé wished she had gone with her sister, as she did regularly, but she figured Kai was able to go on her own.

_Shows how much I know my sister._

Her mind still reeling from worry and regret, Naminé, after a long time, was able to succumb to the clutches of sleep.

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><p><em>~Tuesday, October 18<em>_th__ – Mizu residence, 3:17 a.m.~_

"Naminé…"

The comforting silence of being under her covers was shattered when Naminé heard her name. She cringed, pulling back the blanket only a fraction of an inch. Light seeped into the crack, obviously coming from the dim nightlight at the other end of the room.

"Naminé…"

She could only wonder who was calling her at this late – or was it early? – hour. She hoped it wasn't Kairi, because that meant yet another instance was here to scare her out of her skin. Gingerly, she peeled her protective, warm comforter from herself, and turned flat on her back to stare into the intruder's eyes.

"Hello, Naminé. I am glad you are awake." Kairi's eyes glittered brightly as she sat on her twin's bed, her legs tucked neatly under her. The necklace's jewel Naminé could see sitting inside her sister's jeans pocket shone faintly as well. The redhead smelled of paint and hardwood, and her hair was slightly limp. Stains marred random spots of her clothing; in the almost dark, Naminé couldn't tell what had made them.

Where _had_ she been?

Pushing that question out of her mind, Naminé sat up, squinting at the light that shadowed her sister's frame from behind. "What're you doin', Kai? It's late."

As if she said something entirely different, Kairi replied eerily, "Come dance with me, sister. Come in my room and dance with me."

Naminé blinked, looking her sister over. "What?" Was she crazy? It was dark, and they had school tomorrow! "Kairi, where have you been? It's" – she glanced at her clock – "after three in the morning, and you're just now showing up? It doesn't take that long to –"

Dizziness washed over her as Kairi grabbed her forearm, digging her nails into her sister's skin. To avoid fainting, she clung to the headboard, staring into her sister's now darkened, demonic eyes._ What is she… doing? _The feeling was familiar; it was like when she stared at the necklace for too long.

"You will not come? That is not very nice, sister." Kairi's disappointed voice didn't match her rigid, angry expression. "You will enjoy it, you will see."

"Get… off…" Naminé gasped, trying to suck in air as the world grew dimmer around her. This wasn't normal, not in the slightest. That necklace was the culprit; she knew it for sure now, as she watched it glow terribly bright in her sister's pocket. With effort, she used her free hand to peel Kairi's sharp nails off of her skin, each removal popping like a bandage being ripped off. She bit her lip against the stinging pain, as four perfect, yet bloody, crescent moon-shaped marks appeared where the nails had been.

She flipped on her bedside light; Kairi's face slowly came back into focus.

Kairi stared at her; the necklace's light faded slowly in her pocket. Her eyes widened in what Naminé took as shock, and then her gaze slowly slid to her twin's marred arm.

Naminé whispered, "What's wrong with you, Kai?"

Kairi didn't answer; she only shook her head grievously at the sight of the marks.

"Did you hear me?" Naminé spoke a little louder, confidence creeping into her voice despite the clearly evident horror on her face.

Kairi stood up from the bed slowly, her hand on her necklace, her eyes trained on Naminé's face. Her mouth opened as if she was going to say something, but then her eyes narrowed and she walked swiftly out the room, slamming the door. The smell of paint still lingered faintly.

Naminé blinked, not daring to look at the blood from the marks on her arm that was surely running down her bedside.

She had no words for this.

It involved the necklace – the glowing necklace. And Kairi. And Kairi physically torturing her at 3 o'clock in the morning.

It just didn't make _sense._

Still in shock, Naminé turned off her light and buried under the covers, staring at her scars as if they would give her some answer.

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><p><em>~Wednesday, October 19th – Mizu residence, 6:45 a.m.~<em>

_Bang bang shuffle screeeeech. _

"You're kidding me, right?" Naminé groaned when the sounds of banging from Kairi's room woke her up. She had slept for maybe three hours this morning, and now she had to wake up to what sounded like a construction project in Kairi's room.

_Bang bang shuffle screeeeech. _

_Bang bang shuffle screeeeech. _

_Bang bang shuffle –_

Naminé grabbed the remote from her nightstand and turned the TV on, putting the volume at an overly loud level. The news blared from the speakers, talking about how an insane asylum was being built a few cities over.

_Maybe Kai should go there, since she has been acting very insane lately… or just totally out of it._

She sat up, wincing at the sudden weight on her arm, and started listening to the news to keep her ears off of the faint_ Bang bang shuffle screeeeech _in the background. One story actually caught her interest – it was about a murder of two men at the Islands' local hardware store.

The stone-faced newswoman began her report. "Early this morning, two passerbies were brutally murdered near Hikumu's Hardware Store. Surveillance cameras caught footage of the action, though, due to assumed technical difficulties, sound was not recorded." The tape started rolling; Naminé squinted at the dim recording as a slightly skinny figure passed by two more muscular figures. The slender figure paused as if it was talking to them, and in a flash, that same person was using a sort of long weapon to beat the two down. Naminé cringed inwardly at the sight, even though you could only see silhouettes of the murder.

The woman's face appeared on the screen once more. "At the scene, the two bodies were lying in a large pool of paint mixed with blood and were identified as male; the attacker, however, was never found. The weapon used was identified as a long plank of hardwood, presumably taken from the store. Trails of blood were found going toward the suburbs of the Islands; detectives assume this might have been the murderer's path after the killing. More info will be available as we receive it, and please be on guard for another murder sighting. Now onto our weather. Bill?"

Naminé turned the TV off, her hands shaking. Paint and hardwood. Kairi had smelled like that last night… and those stains on her shirt…

The front door slammed, signaling that Kairi had left.

Naminé flew out her room and ran into her sister's, scanning the area. No signs of any construction were visible, except a few bags huddled in the corner of the room. She went over to them, reading the label.

Hikumu's Hardware Store.

_No way._

So that was where she'd been. Maybe not at the same time as the murder, but still, she'd been there.

Naminé started through the contents of each bag. The first contained rubbing alcohol; the second, leather strips; the third, paper clips; and the fourth, wooden planks. The fifth was not a bag, but a box. It was sealed tightly and Naminé didn't want to open it.

The only thing Naminé could think was: Why?

_Why_ had she been in the hardware store?

_Why_ did she smell like paint and wood – the two things at the murder scene – this morning?

_Why _did she have all this stuff?

_Why…?_

Naminé ran her hands through her hair, eyes squinted tight in fear. _Either my sister is crazy… or I am._

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><p><strong>Next chapter we'll see a bit more of Sora, Roxas, and Riku (yay)~ And we'll introduce a new KH character to the story. Aaaand...Reviews are appreciated! <strong>


	4. Blood on Her Hands

**WOO! 3236 words! *phew* I love this chapter. LOVE IT! I think I really sets the scene for the rest of the story... so i hope you like it!**

**~Lukia**

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><p><em>~Friday, October 21<em>_st__, Mizu residence, 3:07 p.m.~_

"Kai? You home?" Naminé shut the front door behind her and let her bookbag fall from her hands. She secretly hoped her twin wasn't home; since _that_ morning, being even within ten feet of Kairi gave her chills. But there was always a first for everything.

Silence.

The blonde shrugged and started up the straight path of stairs to her room. It wasn't shocking Kairi wasn't here – because she wasn't home Wednesday afternoon or Thursday afternoon either. In fact, she barely saw Kairi outside of school. Her assumed routine was simple – mornings, it was the _bang bang shuffle screeeech_, in which Naminé listened to the news; there was still no more news about the murder. She needed to hear the tape audio – to see if it involved Kairi. During school, it was curt glances and scowls thrown her way from her sister. After school, it was as it was now, her parents at work and Kairi mysteriously absent.

Naminé stepped through the open door of her dark room and collapsed onto her unmade bed, glad it was Friday. No homework, for once, all high grades – unlike her sister, but she didn't want to gloat – and a nice, peaceful evening to herself.

She had just started to drift off when she heard a paper rustle briefly.

_What was that?_

Sitting up, Naminé stretched and walked to the wide desk to the left of her bed where she kept her papers. A new paper was sitting on top of the neatly arranged other ones, its letters gleaming red even in the dark. She assumed it was probably a note from Kairi saying where she was…She could only hope.

She picked up the loose paper, turned on her desk light, and started reading. No, it wasn't from Kairi; it was from another person entirely.

It read:

_My name is Aqua. I was murdered by my sister fifty years ago on October 31__st__. Naminé, I have so much to tell you, so much, but I can't stay in this plane long. If you remember nothing else from this note, remember this. Get that necklace away from your sister. Destroy it. Keep it. I don't care what you do with it. Just_

The letter stopped abruptly, as if the writer had not known what to say next. A red line of ink trailed down the paper, all the way to the bottom, all the way to where one last sentence started. Naminé swallowed hard, reading the sentence with trembling hands.

_Be afraid. Be very afraid._

The desk light shut off, leaving Naminé in complete and absolute blackness.

The door slammed closed, though no one had been there to close it.

The paper flew from her hands, landing back on the desk next to her drawing of the house – which seemed to have been altered some.

Naminé slid down onto the floor, her back on the desk's chair. _Now I'm scared,_ she thought, as goose bumps rose on her arms from the room's sudden chill. The first thing she thought was: _power outage._ But that was impossible, because she could see the hall light on from the crack under the door. The next thought was: _Kairi's home, and she's just playing a trick._ But the she would have heard her come in the front.

To her surprise, her third thought was: _ghost._

A whimper escaped her lips. Ghost? Ha! That wasn't possible. _Ghosts don't exist. It a lie, all a pathetic lie._

But other explanation could there be? There was no breeze in the room to slam the door with such force. Papers just didn't fly out of people's hands; lights didn't turn off by themselves. And this Aqua person… wasn't anyone she knew.

Naminé, with shaking fingers, reached above her on the desk and grabbed the drawing and the – _bloodstained_— note. She put the note aside, afraid to look at it – _blood—no, ink is running down my hands_ – and glared at the drawing. Everything was the same except the blood – _it's ink! It can't be blood_– prints made by her hands, and the downstairs bedroom, which she had refused to draw the inside just days earlier. The altered scene depicted a blue-haired girl, bloody hands pressed against the window. A shadow, possibly another person, stood behind her, a knife gleaming from that one's hands. At the bottom of the drawing the address of the house had been added in that same ink – _no, blood, no, ink…_

Naminé couldn't think. Couldn't breathe, couldn't move. Couldn't think. She could feel though – fear pervaded her body. She set the drawing down again on top of the note. She didn't know what to believe.

However, one thing was certain to her.

_There's a ghost in my house. Probably named Aqua. She has something to do with that necklace._

_And Kairi._

Naminé stroked her – _wet, dripping, bloody_ – hands across the scars Kairi had made on her arm. Could ghosts control people? Was this Aqua trying to get at Naminé through Kairi… for some reason? She didn't know. She didn't know anything about ghosts. But she thought she knew someone who might.

_Riku._

The light came back on, and, suddenly, the blood she knew she had seen disappeared from her hands. _Maybe I was imagining that, _she thought, closing her eyes to calm her nerves.

The phone rang.

Naminé reached behind her again and picked up the cordless receiver, the caller ID reading "Roxas" as she had set it. Her heart skyrocketing, she clicked on the phone.

"Roxas?"

"Hey, Nami!" Her friend's voice sounded light and happy. "Sora and me are goin' to the mall, to, you know, walk around, enjoy Friday and such! We wanted to know if you wanted to come with us."

She tried to keep the shake out of her voice, successfully. "Is Kai there?"

"Kai? Nope. You know, I haven't seen her around much anyway." A small chuckle reached Naminé's ears. "But I'm sure she's fine. At least Sora's not worrying. She's not at your house?"

"No." Tension rose in her voice to replace the tremble of fear.

"That's odd." Roxas gave a _hmph_ and continued, "So, you wanna come?"

Naminé weighed her options. She really didn't want to stay in the house, but then again she did – maybe to find out more about this assumed ghost. "Sure," she said without thinking.

"Great! We'll meet you in front of Entrance Three at four." He clicked off as Naminé put the phone to the floor.

She sighed. Physically and mentally, she was tired. Had Roxas called her fifteen minutes earlier, then maybe she would be a bit more excited about going. But no. The most ghastly experience yet had come to pass… and she just wanted... she didn't know what she wanted.

Against even her own will, Naminé stood up, ran her hands through her hair, stepped over the note and drawing, and walked out the door.

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><p><em>~Mirai-wa Mall, Destiny Islands Inner City, 4:02 p.m.~<em>

Naminé reveled in the heat that hit her chilled body as she entered the bustling, loud mall. It was a long walk in the cold from her house to the mall, and she was glad she had gotten here without getting frostbite, or hypothermia, or having a mini panic attack over whether a car was going to hit her. Shoving her paled hands into her pockets, she walked a little farther away from the door, wondering why Roxas and Sora were missing in action. He had said Entrance Three, right…?

"Boo!" A voice scream-whispered from behind Naminé, causing her to jump and nearly trip over her own feet. Sora and Roxas laughed behind her, and she whirled around, red-faced from the biting cold she had just left.

"You two," she mock-scolded, giving a slight giggle.

Roxas stifled a chuckle, and threw an arm around Naminé, helping her walk forward as Sora followed close behind. "Aww, we love you too." With a wink, he gave her a dazzlingly bright smile.

Naminé turned away, her heart fluttering with the oncoming blush. She knew she didn't like Roxas in that way – but her friend never ceased to being such a flirt. "What are we doing here anyway?" She questioned.

"To check out all the hot girls, of course!" Sora threw in, appearing next to her and blowing a kiss some girls from their school as they passed the arcade. "Nah, I'm kidding. It's Friday, Nami," he nudged her, "Lighten up!"

"I wish," she mumbled under her breath as the trio continued to walk. But Kairi, and that note, and that necklace – it had taken control of the sensible part of her mind and wouldn't let go. Worry and fear clouded her thoughts so much so that she couldn't even think about anything else. It had only been a matter of days and her life went from totally normal to totally upside down…

Lost in her thoughts, Naminé hadn't even noticed Roxas stopped and pulled the three of them down onto a bench. He tilted her chin upward gingerly and, staring into his slightly darkened blue eyes, Naminé's world came back into focus.

"Nami, what's wrong?"

She shook her head, pulling away from his grasp. "Nothing." She swallowed, considering how much she should tell him. If she started rambling on about ghosts, it would be weird. "It's just Kairi…"

"You're worried because she's not home, is that it?" Sora interjected, giving a bright smile that Naminé could see out of the corner of her eye. "She's fine. As long as you see her in school, that means she's still alive, am I right?"

Naminé nodded to hide her shame._ That isn't what I wanted to say! I was thinking, maybe if I get this off of my chest… But I'm not sure enough. I need to talk to Riku._

Roxas stood, taking his strong warm hands in her wintered fragile ones. "It'll be fine. Don't worry yourself. If she really was in trouble, you'd know – it that twin thing you guys have, like we do." Roxas stuck out his tongue at his brother as he stood as well.

Naminé only kept silent, intertwining her fingers with Roxas's to physically show she was ready to go. A wan smile backed up her motion. "Okay. Let's keep moving. Who knows, we may even find her here in the mall."

"That's the spirit!" The twins said in unison, as Roxas tightened his grip on her hand and Sora slung an arm around her shoulder. They walked forward with her, nudging her every so often to remind her to keep her chin up.

And she tried. She really did. She tried to wave at the classmates she passed, to swoon at the pretty dresses in her favorite store, to giggle at how cute the plushies that put a warm smile on her face were. But as the sun started to go down, the hopeful illusions faded, and she was right back at square one.

_Kairi, what's wrong with you?_

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><p><em>~Mirai-wa Mall, Destiny Islands Inner City, 6:36 p.m.~<em>

Her brightened façade was able to stay up for a bit longer, and Naminé even started to believe that everything was okay. She linked arms with Roxas and leaned onto him as they passed by Entrance Six, the sunset caressing her face with light and warmth as the movie theater bustled busily with evening showings. She thought she heard Roxas sigh with contentment at her motion.

Naminé stopped, pulling away from her friend and staring up at him. "What?"

"What what?" The teen tried to pull off as nonchalant, but even in the light, she could see his blush as he turned his face away. Sora stifled a laugh, leaning on the tall window of the videogame store they'd stopped in front of.

"Never… Never mind," Naminé uttered. She was being goofy. Goofy and extremely immature. What was it about Roxas that got her so flustered…?

A flash of silver passed her on her right as someone entered the game store. Naminé turned slightly, watching the person stride confidently over to the gaming magazine racks in the back. Just maybe…

_Riku…?_

She turned back around with a genuine smile at Roxas and Sora. "Can you guys give me a few seconds? I saw, uh, this… uh…" She was a bad liar, so she decided to make her explanation simple. "Can I go look in the video game store? Alone?"

Roxas looked appalled for a second, but his expression softened with a rough elbowing from his twin. With a sigh, he replied, "Sure, Nami. We'll meet up at the food court, 'kay?"

She squeezed his hand before heading into the store. "Alright!" She called back.

Loud, rock-inclined music reached her ears when she crossed the threshold; however, girls and boys alike seemed to crowd the store. She pulled down on her fuzzy white skirt, hoping not to seem out of place, and then pushed through the amassing bodies to the quieter back of the store where Riku stood by the racks of magazines, flipping through one of them.

"Hey, Riku!" She called friendly, walking up to him with a small smile.

Riku glanced up, green-blue eyes wide, shock of seeing her here plain on his face. "N-Naminé?"

"Not the person you'd expect, huh?" She joked as he closed his magazine.

"Not… at all." Riku was boring holes in her with his piercing stare. Naminé involuntarily flinched, hoping he could help her.

"I have a question to ask you."

"Mm," Riku nodded as a way of saying, 'continue'.

"Um, well…" This was awkward. What if she blurted out about the… ghost, and he just stared at her and thought she was crazy? What if he didn't even know about ghosts, despite how smart he was? This was a huge risk she was taking, but Naminé couldn't give up now. _For Kairi._ "Do you know anything about ghosts?"

Silence for a moment, and then Riku twirled a strand of his hair and flipped his bangs out of his eyes. "You came to the right person, Naminé."

Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest at that. Turned out Riku might just be as intelligent as he claimed to be. "That's good, because, well…"

"Start at the beginning," he urged kindly.

The beginning? Naminé blinked, not sure where the beginning was. However, she decided to start at the first signs of Kairi's weird actions. "Our family went to this beach house last weekend. When we left on Sunday, Kairi had started becoming fascinated with this necklace she found. She kept warning me not to touch it. And at school, she would have it with her, and she would just be… scornful to me. Like throwing me dirty looks and stuff. And then, there was this one time, Kairi didn't get home from the grocery store until late, and when she did get home, it was three in the morning, and she was trying to get me to 'come dance' with her, and I know I've heard that somewhere before, and… she hurt me…" Naminé rolled up her sleeve, showing Riku the fingernail marks.

"Hmmm…" Riku glared at the marks, but didn't make a move to touch them.

Trembling, she continued. "And then, I saw on the news about this murder at the hardware store, and you know what? Kairi had been there, and she'd bought all these weird things like paper clips and wood. I mean, not saying she's involved in the murder… but what really confirmed my suspicions was when I found this note from this dead girl named Aqua on my desk. She wanted me to get the necklace away from Kairi, and then at the end, the note said to be very afraid, and then the door slammed, and the light turned off, and I swear t-there was b-blood on my hands… And Kairi… Kai…" Naminé felt her eyes burn with tears. She felt like such a weakling for crying. Riku had to help her, he had to, or else things would never be the same again.

Riku took both his hands in hers, trying to calm her down. "It's okay, Naminé."

She shook her head, letting it droop. "No…"

Riku rubbed his thumbs on her palms. "I think you're right. It's probably a revengeful ghost. But…"

Naminé looked up into the sweet green pools that were his eyes. "What?"

"How old was that house you guys stayed in?"

"About fifty years old or so?" Naminé wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Did you hear about any murders in the house?"

Well, that was new. "No."

"The person you rented from must have been keeping secrets from you." Riku lowered his voice. "To me, it sounds like someone – presumably this Aqua – was killed in that house, and her spirit never got to leave the earth plane. She must have died a very painful death, as people who do tend to have more hostile specters. Ghosts can attach themselves to things, Naminé, so it seems your ghost must have attached itself to the necklace of Kairi's and is either possessing her or leading her to do her actions."

_Possessed. _"What's the difference?"

"Possessed is when the ghost actually takes control of his or her host. Leading, or 'spirit guiding' as some call it, is when the host makes his or her own decisions and the spirit 'helps' them with it, in turn twisting their thoughts. Either way, the host usually experiences some mental deterioration, like hallucinations and such. But it doesn't really matter, for you anyway – you just want to help your twin, right?" He gave a weak smile.

A curt nod from the blonde. "But why? Why is this happening?"

"There isn't enough evidence to tell. If you can't tell me the circumstances for the assumed death, I can't figure out why this ghost chose you and Kairi out of all the people who probably rented that house. You're going to have to do some research on the history of the event…" He smiled at her. "If you need any help, just call me."

Naminé nodded. Riku had been a big help already. If she could figure out the secrets of the house and Aqua's death, maybe she could save Kairi before things got any more out of control. "Alright, Riku. Thanks a bunch."

"No prob." Riku opened up his magazine to a page again, looking up at her from under the covers of his bangs. "See you Monday?"

"Monday," she concluded, walking away and waving to him as she did. Her soul soared with happiness; she was finally getting somewhere. She exited the store and started toward the food court. Things would be better. Soon, she hoped. Maybe she could even talk to Kairi tonight and see what else was up with her. For now, her life revolved around one thing – keeping her life. Because if she didn't hurry, Kairi might…

She shook her head, throwing that thought away and feeling amazed at how she had changed. Just days earlier ghosts were a fairy tale in her book; now she was trying to save her and Kairi from one. It was just weird, because she didn't know her views on life could change that fast!

Naminé was never one to believe in the supernatural. But now, she would have to suspend her disbelief to save them all – even if she had to go through hell and back to reach her goal.

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><p><strong>Reviews are appreciated!<strong>


	5. The Revelation

**Hey guys! Chapter 4 is here! This chapter is sort of/not really filler, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!**

**(P.S. Find the Higurashi references and you get a cookie~)**

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><p><em>~Monday, October 24<em>_th__, Destiny Islands High School, Media Center, 3:33 p.m. ~_

Naminé rolled the mouse around in her right hand as she glared at the computer screen, the little cursor hovering over the search box just waiting to be filled. She'd intended to come to the quiet, serene school library to do a little research on Aqua and the house, but as of now, she had no idea where to begin. Sighing, she reached into her book bag and pulled out the picture of the house, her eyes gravitating to the address written in the corner in bright red ink. 66 Semi Avenue, it read.

_That's a good a place to start as any._

She nimbly typed it in the search box, what the internet provided her was a series of rental housing sites, saying that the property was available, had spacious rooms, a beautiful ocean view, was perfect for large families…

With a wince, Naminé tacked on _murder_ to the end of her search query and put quotes around all four words. Maybe that would be of some use.

Three results came up.

The first, coming from an outer-city newspaper article archive, looked promising.

With a satisfied click on the link, Naminé was already intrigued by the article's title, 'Dance to their Deaths'. _This could be it…!_ She squealed, starting to read.

**Dance to Their Deaths – November 2****nd****, 19XX**

"Tragedy struck a large house in the village of Shirakawa of the Destiny Islands on the morning of Halloween. But not just any tragedy – two very mysterious murders."

Naminé paused. _…Two? _Pulling out a notebook, she started to take notes as she read.

"Twin girls of the Satsujin family, Aqua and Xion, both age 16, had always seemed to have a good relationship, via what their parents could tell detectives. "They were both avid ballet dancers, and were always helping each other with a move of some sort," said their grieving mother, Altenna Satsujin. "Every time we would turn around, one of them would be calling, 'Come in my room and dance with me, sister!'… I don't know what could have gone wrong!"

"However, their mother was obviously left in the dark, as many of Xion's friends reported that the girl always felt intimidated by Aqua, as she was always better than her both in and out of school. Aqua's accomplices, however, said Aqua loved her sister to endless bounds and even bought her a very expensive necklace for their sixteenth birthday earlier in the year. Somewhere along the way, something inside the youngest twin must have snapped and lead her to murder Aqua, although psychiatrists are still trying to figure out what might have been Xion's mindset at the time of the murder. "Delusion and paranoia is my best guess," said Dr. Futari Shimomura, M.D., who has been in the practice for twenty-eight years. "Xion saw her sister as threat and proceeded to vanquish that threat, though Aqua claimed to not have done anything to harm her sister."

"The weapon used was a cleaver said to have belonged to a neighbor; only Xion's fingerprints had a match to those on the handle, leading detectives to the conclusion that Xion first stabbed Aqua repeatedly in the stomach, set up the murder scene – her own bedroom – to look like a break-in, and then proceeded to commit suicide by shoving the blade through her heart, as the room was depicted when their parents came in hours later. The autopsy on both bodies showed no more signs of physical struggle.

"Though the details are vague, the people of the small village of Shirakawa all agree that this was a terrible tragedy to occur at such an ominous time. Both girls will be greatly missed, and a funeral will be held later in the week. More information will come as it is released."

Naminé stared at the screen, every word settling into her memory. This was all she needed right here. Aqua's sister was Xion Satsujin, and they were twins, just like Kairi and Naminé. Xion murdered her sister – in their rental house - most likely out of rage for being so much better than her, but Aqua claimed to love her sister with all her heart, in which that love was expressed in that necklace…

The necklace. Naminé started trembling with the realization. The necklace Kairi had gotten from the house was once Xion's and now Aqua was… possessing Kairi through her sister's necklace?

Something still didn't fit.

Riku had said ghost who died a hostile death had hostile specters. Aqua's death was more horrid that Xion's, but Xion's emotions were running higher…

A paper fluttered onto her lap. Without a second thought, Naminé started reading. It had to be another note from Aqua.

_It's not me! Naminé, you've got to believe me. I loved my sister, and it wasn't only the necklace that I showed my love with. She couldn't see how I was trying to help her with school and dance. I tried. She kept shutting me out, refusing to see how much I had tried to sacrifice for her. I would _never _possess Kairi to do the things she did. It's Xion. She's out to get revenge, not only on me, but on other twins as well. _

_Naminé… I can't say much more… just keep your eye on Kairi._

Naminé wanted to believe her. What other choice did she have? As she clicked to print out the article, she weighed her options. She could believe Aqua, go ahead and say it was Xion possessing/guiding her sister, and – somehow – try to get the necklace away from Kairi. Or, she could go to Kairi herself, completely open-minded, and just ask her what had been going on lately.

Option One seemed like the safer option. But Option Two seemed like the one that would get her the farthest.

Stuffing the drawing into her book bag, she slung the pack over her shoulder and grabbed the article from the printer on her way out the school library. She'd talk to Kairi. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But soon.

_Before anything else falls apart._

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><p><em>~Mizu residence, 4:15 p.m.~<em>

The blonde teen slumped into a dining room chair, her notes and the article splayed out in front of her on the table as the sunset's light crept in from the window behind her. She stared at the papers, scanning over them, trying to pick out anything she had missed. But soon her eyes grew tired and she shuffled the papers together and set them down gingerly, planning to look at them again tonight.

Kairi was home, which was a rare occurrence for a Monday afternoon, and Naminé had made careful not to try to talk to her about her… issue, yet. She'd fumble over her words, and Kairi might blow up at her or something for being accusing. "What to do when there's nothing to do," she murmured to herself.

She shuffled up the stairs and into her room, shutting her door with a bang and flipping on the television. She sprawled in front of it on her stomach. If nothing else, she could at least check the news for any information on the murder. It had been nearly a week since the first report, and nothing had showed up. Naminé felt like giving up on the whole thing. Kairi surely couldn't have been involved…

"… have acquired the audio from the murder near the hardware store, recorded off one of the victim's dropped cellular device."

Naminé smirked. _How convenient._ She pulled out her own cell phone to record the voices off of the TV. Scooting closer to it and turning on her voice memo feature as she put the mic against the TV speaker, she figured it was either coincidence that the reporter decided to release the audio now, or a force from some higher power.

Whatever the reason, she was glad she hadn't given up.

The grainy audio started playing the sound of men talking. It was vague and muggy at first, but the words gradually became clearer.

"Nice necklace you got there." A male said.

"What's it to you?" said a tense female voice that was eerily like Kairi's. _It can't be true…_

"Ah, nothing. I wish I could give my wife something that pretty."

"Man," said the second male, "You know you'd never be able to get the money to get something that expensive."

"Don't touch it." The female again, her voice flooded with anger.

"Don't worry, I—"

"I said DON'T!" The female's scream filled the air as the sound of wood against flesh was heard, and a something metal clattered to the ground. The two males' voices became groggier as each hit made contact, and Naminé could hear the blood hitting the pavement with unbelievable force. Her demonic grunts were absolutely hatred-filled, and the males' horrified yells died down with each _splat _until they were completely silent. The female's voice spoke again, her breath labored as the wood clattered to the ground.

"I… they… haha! – They won't come after me… anymore…"

The tape stopped. Naminé turned off the TV in an instant, her heart pounding. _That wasn't Kairi. It couldn't be. She wouldn't… kill people. No way._

But as she lifted the phone to her ear and replayed the recording, she had no doubt it was her twin. She replayed it again.

And again.

And again.

She couldn't get that voice out of her mind, that scream out of her mind, the laugh out of her mind. It sounded like Kairi… but didn't sound like her at the same time. She couldn't be sure of the murder was Kairi's action or one of the ghosts. But one thing she knew for sure—

_My sister is crazy._

She got up and went downstairs, almost in a trance-like state. She couldn't be sure her life was real anymore. This was her twin she was talking about! Her committing a murder was unthinkable. Aqua had said to keep an eye on her though. _But how am I supposed to do that without… you know… dying?_

She sat down at the dining room table, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose when she closed her eyes. She wasn't safe anymore. If she wasn't safe, then Sora wasn't safe, Riku wasn't safe, and Roxas wasn't safe…

She stretched her fingers out onto the table, feeling for her papers.

They were gone.

Her eyes snapped open, springing from her chair and into the foyer hallway. Just in time too, because Kairi was in the hall trying to steal away up the stairs with her twin's papers behind her back.

"Kairi," she said slowly as her sister's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing with my things?"

"I wanted to see them," she replied simply.

"Well, you could've asked," Naminé said, reaching for her twin. The redhead stepped back. Naminé stepped forward. Kairi stepped back.

"Give those to me," Naminé hissed.

Kairi stared at her twin. "No."

"I'll be your best friend if you give those to me." Naminé said, trying not to sound like she was pleading.

"Hah! Aren't you straightforward." Kairi let the papers fall to her feet as Naminé rushed to gather them. "Sure, you'll be my best friend. If I had a dime for every time I heard that one."

The blonde stepped back on unsteady feet. "Yeah. Whatever."

Kairi shrugged and headed up the stairs, moving with an unnatural grace.

With her papers, Naminé stepped back and slid down the front door. What did Kairi want the article for? _Not for anything good,_ Naminé thought as she started to scan through the article again. For some reason, now, one phrase kept popping out at her – 'Come in my room and dance with me.'

_Come dance._

Naminé groaned at her stupidity. How many times did obvious have to call out to her before she understood? She knew she'd heard that phrase before – Kairi had tried to lure her out of bed with it, but there was also a time before, when they first gotten to the rental house…

* * *

><p><em>~Saturday, October 15<em>_th__, Former Satsujin residence, 11:06 p.m.~_

Naminé pulled the thin covers up over her head, the darkness penetrating the air all around her. She hated this house. It was dark, cold, and dusty. And something always felt off. _And_ they were here for a whole _weekend._ She thought things couldn't get any worse until she heard that girl's voice, loud and clear as a bell, in her head.

_Come dance with me…_

"But I don't want to," Naminé whined softly, mentally slapping herself for talking to a voice in her head. She just must have been tired from the trip. Nothing more.

_Come dance…_

Naminé burrowed deeper into the covers, though every instinct was telling her to get up and go dance with whoever it was. The voice was so sweet, so alluring, it was as if she just wanted to forget all her troubles and follow it.

But she fought the urge, even as the voice grew louder and she heard Kairi's door slam, as if she'd gotten up to go check. She fought the lure as the voice died down to the point where it was only an annoying buzz, and then it disappeared altogether.

Oh, how she hated this place. It was going to make her go _crazy._

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><p><em>~Monday, October 24<em>_th__, Mizu residence, 4:58 p.m.~_

If only had she remembered that voice sooner. She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. Was it Xion or Aqua who called out to her that night? Aqua had said she would never possess anyone, and it was Kairi who got up that night and had Xion's necklace the day they left. So it was Xion… wasn't it?

But petty assumptions would get her nowhere. If she wanted to be absolutely sure, she_ had_ to go to Kairi.

Though every instinct decided against being within a five foot radius of her insane sister.

It had to be soon. Sooner rather than later. Kairi was obviously a mentally unstable person right now, and before the ghost – whoever it was – pushed her sister any further, she had to get her answer while she was still partially sane… but what if…

_This is too much for me!_

Overwhelmed, Naminé hugged her knees to her chest, lowered her head, and started to cry.

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><p><strong>Reviews are appreciated!<strong>

**~Lukia**


	6. Demoned Away

**Hey peoples~ This chapter is very... well, it's not for the faint hearted. I was listening to Higurashi music as I wrote this and, well, this is how it turned out. Hope you enjoy~**

**~Lukia**

**(P.S. Cookies for anyone who gets the two Higurashi references! ^-^)**

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><p><em>~Thursday, October 27<em>_th__, Mizu residence, 3:47 p.m.~_

Roxas leaned against the Mizus' front door as he eyed Naminé carefully. "You sure you're okay with it?"

"I told you, Roxas, it's fine. Just don't be out too late." Naminé pulled out her key from her pocket and fingered with it. Roxas and Kairi had a language arts project to work on together, and Roxas was having a mini-fit over being with Kairi at such a late hour. Naminé hoped nothing was to happen while the two were at Roxas's house – like her sister going on a murderous rampage – but it was two hours, max. And Roxas had the common sense to back away if Kairi went nuts on him.

"You're _absolutely _sure?"

She stuck the key in the hole, turning it, and looked up at his tense face. "It's only for a few hours, Roxas. I'm sure."

With a sigh, the spiky-haired teen stepped away from the door and started back down the driveway. "Okay. Jus' tell your sis to hurry up and come over; I don't have all night ya know!"

Naminé stepped in the door and called back, "I'll tell her," and then closed the door with a click, her book bag slipping from her hand.

Up the stairs and into her room she trudged, pulling out a random notebook and pencil, sketching to clear her mind… which she had been doing a lot lately. Every day her mind seemed to be on _something_, so she took to drawing before she started on homework. She'd drawn a smiling pumpkin yesterday in reverence to Halloween, which was four days away; she'd give it to Roxas as a present to brighten up the spooky day. But today… the pencil moved across the paper not of her accord, creating a masterpiece.

Before long she could figure out what she was drawing. A girl, slightly tall, with cropped hair and a sturdily built body graced the page. Her right leg lifted in an _arabesque_, her left straight and elegantly turned to balance her weight. Her arms flowed mellifluously in the air, one in front of her and one behind her, fingers spread apart daintily, as if she were some sort of majestic bird. The skirt and leotard she wore were silky and Naminé wanted to color it a baby blue – but no, not until the picture was done. She ended the picture by drawing her face to the side, with bright, clear eyes and just a hint of a smile on her serene face.

The blonde's hand moved away from the paper as she gazed at it in awe. She'd never seen a girl with such grace; so how did she draw something she hadn't seen? The way she had drawn the picture reminded her of someone...

She pulled her colored pencils from her desk drawer and took to lightly brightening the picture. Soft, peach colored skin accented the ocean-colored eyes that matched her hair color. The leotard and skirt _were _blue, to Naminé's surprise; and her shoes were a soft, unblemished pink.

_A beautiful dancer._

…_Aqua?_

The sun peered in the window and illuminated the picture, in which the girl in the drawing seemed to look right at her and nod slightly.

Naminé smiled. A few weeks before a moving picture would have scared her, but she knew this was the dead girl's way of saying 'yes'. Naminé could only wonder if Xion was as beautiful as her sister. She wasn't, she assumed, for that was likely one of the reasons she killed her gentle twin.

A feeble voice she heard from Kairi's room. "N-Nami?"

Naminé looked up from her picture toward the door. That didn't sound like just Kairi; it sounded like a weak, tired Kairi. Was something wrong with her?

"I'm coming," she called back, going out her room swiftly and opening her sister's door.

In the dim light, Kairi looked ghastly sitting on her bed; her skin had lost its rosy, suntanned color; her eyes were dull and had little life in them; scars marred her thin, fragile arms. This girl was her twin, her other half, but she didn't appear to be.

"You can come in," she croaked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Naminé opened the door wider, letting the light from he hall stream in as she sat next to her sister and took her cold hand. "Kairi…"

She murmured something.

"What?"

"I'm scared." Kairi swallowed audibly. Her hand shook as she grasped her sister's tighter.

"Scared? Of what?" Naminé felt sympathy for her sister; through this possible possession she was enduring, her spirit seemed to be breaking.

"There's this thing… I have to do. He's a liability. Getting in my way."

Naminé flinched at her sister's vagueness. "Who is _h_e_?_"

Kairi shook her head. "I can't tell you. She would hurt me."

"Who is _she?_ Kairi, you have to talk to me. I can help you." She was throwing pronouns around and not giving any straight answers. Talking about her sister's… problem was getting her nowhere.

She gripped the necklace around her neck, ripping her hand from her sister's. "Why should talk to you? She's done more for me – helped me – she's helping me reach my goal. You can't help," she glared at Naminé with cold, dark eyes, "because you're part of the problem."

"Part of the problem?" Naminé sighed. "Kairi, I don't understand."

"You won't. Not until the time is right." She swayed in time to a beat only she could hear.

Naminé stared. She was mental. Crazy. Insane. Her words were failing her and she couldn't think of anything to break more information out of her sister. Her hand moved to her cell phone in her pocket with the murder audio on it. She could bring that up and force her to confess…

But her sister hated her so much already, as she had figured out. Accusing Kairi of killing two people would only, because of her mental state, cause her to get angry and possibly push her over the edge of insanity. She might admit to murder, but she most likely wouldn't, and Naminé wanted to get out of the room with as little wounds as possible. She took her hand off the phone and said, "Kairi, listen to me. When have I ever failed to help you? Even with school, I've always cared abo—"

"Liar." Her voice was hard and angry in the reply, as her hands fell into fists at her side.

Naminé winced. "Okay, maybe I haven't helped you one hundred percent. But Kairi, I really think something is wrong with –"

"_You're lying!" _Kairi started scratching at her wrists furiously, the skin turning raw and red. "Liar, liar, liar, _liar!_" Her breath came in short gasps, as if she'd forgotten how to breathe.

Naminé squirmed away on the bed, staring at her sister as she continued to make her wrists bleed with her nails, the blood sending fine drops onto the carpet. "Liar, liar," was the only thing that escaped her lips as she shut her eyes tight. The blonde stood up, trying to make a slow but mad dash out the door. She hadn't planned to see her sister bleed right in front of her eyes.

But before Naminé could sprint down to her room and lock the door, Kairi stood up and walked out slowly, blood trailing down her hands and onto the carpet. Her feet paused at the top of the steps and the redhead turned to face her sister who was trembling and clinging to the door frame.

Kairi raised her right hand to her face, licking away the blood, and then let her arm dangle at her side. Demonic eyes glared back at Naminé as her sister said, "After him, you're next."

Naminé froze in place and couldn't move as those unfamiliar eyes tore away from hers.

She couldn't move as Kairi walked down the steps.

She couldn't move hours later even as the sun set and the moon rose to shine among the stars.

But she did move, eventually.

When she realized where Kairi was going.

_Roxas's house._

Hurriedly, without bothering to lock the door behind her or grab a jacket, she ran out her house and into the chilly, ominous night.

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><p><strong>Reviews are appreciated!<strong>

**~Lukia**


	7. Don't Cry for Me

**Well isn't this a nice chapter~ There is a bit of romance between Namine and Roxas, but nothing too serious, so for those of you who aren't romance fans this chappy is 'safe'. XD For some reason I can't get through a story without putting in some romance. Don't know why. :P**

**Oh, yeah, and after this chapter there will probably be two more chapters and an epilogue.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em>~Thursday, October 27<em>_th__, Higuran Avenue, 9:37 p.m. ~_

The skies opened up and showered down rain as Naminé flew down the store-lined sidewalk, the turn that led to Roxas's house not seeming to get any closer. Her heart beating one thousand times a minute and her hair flying behind her, she couldn't afford to stop now.

_Kairi's crazy. And Roxas is _with her._ Oh please – please—_

The sound of her feet on the pavement and the streetlights flying by were the only things that kept Naminé holding to a grip on reality; if she even let Roxas's face pass through her head, just once, she would have a complete breakdown on the street. _And he'll be dead by then._

She almost tripped over a stray person leaning against a store door, but she gained her balance easily, the rain falling into her eyes filled with tears. If only she could go faster –

_Wait._

Naminé stopped, whipping around, her eyes landing on the body her foot had barely grazed. Blood pooled around him as he sat there, shivering in the cold and rain, wearing merely ripped and bloodied pants.

The exact same designer pants Naminé had giving Roxas for his birthday last year.

"Oh, _Roxas!_" Naminé cried, running over to him and sliding onto the rough pavement, letting his limp body lean against hers. Blood stained her shirt, but she didn't care. This was _Roxas,_ badly hurt, and the way his hair fell wetly on his forehead and how his eyes fluttered with weakness made her heart absolutely ache for him. "What – How – You—"

"Kai…ri…" Roxas muttered faintly, his voice near inaudible. Naminé was surprised and she wasn't surprised at the same time; from what she could feel as she held her best friend, his sister had done more than given little scratches.

She swallowed hard as the rain poured around them and blood soaked into her jeans. "What… what even happened, Roxas?"

"Do you really want to know?" Roxas groaned, sliding out of Naminé's grasp and he, painstakingly, sat up and tried to lean against the store window behind him. The girl gasped when she saw the reflection of his back upon the glass. His skin was near stripped from him, so much so that you could only see the bloody muscle underneath. Small sticks of aluminum dotted his back in random places… were those paper clips?

"Oh, Roxas," she repeated, in too much shock to comprehend anything else. Had Kairi really gone this far? Roxas must have been the 'him' she was talking about earlier. If only she had been a little more careful… "We need to get you to a hospital. Yes, that what we'll do." She reached for her phone, but paused when Roxas put a hand on hers.

He looked up at her, eyes near lifeless, with a wan smile on his face. "Not yet, Nami… My mom's not home from her night shift at the hospital yet and she'll find out."

"But, Roxas!" Naminé protested, feeling her face heat up. "You could… get an infection or something! And it's cold and wet…"

"Naminé."

She kept looking at him, trying to get him to see her logic. But those beautiful baby blue eyes had locked onto hers and made her heart melt. _I want him to be well. But if this is what he wants…_

"Stay."

She swallowed again and nodded.

Roxas sighed, closing his eyes and starting a story Naminé wasn't sure she wanted to hear. "When Kairi arrived at my house, she… was obviously at bit off. I was all ready to start our project, but she was like, 'No, I forgot my project folder at school. I know a back way to get in.' And I agreed, you know?" He shook his head in shame. "So we went to the school, and instead of going upstairs to the lockers, she took us downstairs to the basement. And before I could figure out what was happening, she'd taken me into an empty storage room and locked the door behind us."

"And then what?" Naminé urged. She could feel tremors shaking her body. _I don't really need to hear this… but this could be vital to figuring Kai out._

Roxas tensed, still keeping his eyes closed. "Everything was already set up for what looked like a torture chamber. Paper clips were tied to leather strips like whips in the corner, wooden planks were laid in a cross shape raised parallel to the floor. And the way she looked at me with hatred, pure hatred, and tied me down to those planks so roughly, I wondered if the red-haired girl behind me was even Kairi anymore. I don't…" He started breathing a little faster, pinching his nose between his fingers. "I remember knives. Knives being sliced across my back. And those whips tearing into my skin. And what I think might have been alcohol being poured onto those open wounds. It hurt like hell, but after a while I got used to the pain. I didn't know why she was doing this. She kept calling me a 'liability', and 'a flaw in the plan'. But after a while she stopped. Like she'd realized what she'd done or something. She halfway untied me and left, and somehow I managed to escape and get as far as this street before my body gave out. I was trying to get to your house, Naminé. Even if Kairi was there, I trust you with my life more than anyone."

_Paper clips. Rubbing alcohol. Wood. Leather. And the closed box – knives. Kairi had this planned well in advance. And Roxas trusts me. But he's near dead on the street. If I were to lose him because of Kairi—_

Naminé put her hands over her face to cover the tears rolling down her cheeks. She couldn't help but cry, for Kairi, for herself, for Roxas. There were so many _ifs_ going through her head._ If_ she'd looked into what Kai had bought earlier—_if_ she'd listened to Roxas when he didn't want to go with her sister – _If _only—

"Ssh, Naminé. Come here." Roxas, wincing as held his arms out, and Naminé flew into them, bawling terribly. He rubbed her back, cooing, "Don't cry, Nami. Don't cry for me."

_How else can I show you how much I love you? Show how much I would miss you if you had died?_ Naminé screamed inside her head, unable to say those words. Roxas, from now on, wasn't just a best friend – he was more, and always would be.

She laid in his arms for a while more, wiping away her tears with her hand, listening to the rain pitter-patter onto the pavement before them. One by one, store lights shut off behind them, and soon they were left in total darkness with nothing but the moon as light.

Naminé felt her chin be lifted by Roxas's hand, and their eyes locked again. She smiled at him, and he smiled back with the renewed vigor she'd always seen in him. Very gently, he leaned down, and put his lips to her forehead, so softly, yet so sweet. When he pulled back, Naminé found herself crying softly again.

_My first kiss…!_

Though it was cold and rainy, Naminé felt as if she could stay in his arms forever.

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><p><em>~Thursday, October 27<em>_th__, Ichiban Lane, 10:06 p.m. ~_

The two walked through the wet street, dark houses and trees on either side of them. Naminé had finally convinced him to go home, and, her jacket draped around him, they strolled with Roxas's arm around Naminé for support.

"At least the rain has stopped," Roxas said, relieved, running his free hand through his hair.

Naminé nodded, looking up at the trees. Little _higurashi_ bounced about in them in the night, making a distinctive 'kikikikiki' sound. "That's odd," Naminé said.

"What?" Roxas questioned, but then the _higurashi _started to cry from all around them, their mourning song penetrating the darkness. "Oh, the _higurashi_ are out! That is weird. Normally they only show up in the morning or right after sunset." He shrugged slightly, wincing.

Naminé sighed. "Their sound is so beautiful, but yet so heartrending…"

"Yeah." Roxas stopped, looking up at the bright, round moon.

Naminé paused as well. "Isn't it weird how what was the worst night for both of us turned out to be the best in the end?"

"Weird, yes…" Roxas held out his hand and let a _higurashi _land on it, "But then again, fate is weird, huh?"

"Whatever you want to believe." Naminé giggled, and touched the cicada gently. "I'm just glad I got to spend tonight with you."

"Me too." He let the cicada go.

As the two kept toward Roxas's house, Naminé took her eyes off Roxas for a moment, and watched the cicada fly, higher and higher, aiming toward the moon to be free again.

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><p><strong>Reviews are appreciated!<strong>

**~Lukia**


	8. Frozen in Time

**Word count for the chapter: 3,018 words. Aaaaah. XD**

**This chapter was fun though. The beginning scared me as I wrote it, and the middle and the end moved me to tears (even though it's my story XD). In this chapter, we find out the truth about Riku... if you haven't guessed, he is not all what he seems.**

**One more chapter and an epilogue to go! I hope to be finished by New Year's Eve!**

**Enjoy~**

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><p><em>~Friday, October 28<em>_th__, Destiny Islands High School, 1:54 p.m.~_

Naminé stayed put in her seat when the second-to-last bell rang and watched the other students stream out the door, eager to get to last period. The class she had next – language arts – used to be Naminé's safe haven, but if she even set a foot inside that door, her eyes would naturally gravitate to Roxas's seat, which would be empty today because of what happened. A terrible lump started in her throat as she thought about the incident. If it hadn't been for her, Roxas would be worse than at home with a ripped-apart back, he'd be at home in the ground. Dead.

As she packed away her things and slung her bookbag over her shoulder, she knew she didn't want anyone else to get hurt. She'd never forgive herself if Kairi went after Sora or Riku…her sister and that ghost had to be stopped. Naminé couldn't even let herself think what Kairi's next target would be even though she knew already.

She sauntered morosely out of the room and into the bustling hallway with students talking in groups, checking lockers, or rushing to the last class of the day. Her locker was across the hall and a little ways down, and as she went to get her books, Sora bounded up next to her, a little less bright than normal.

"You miss him, Naminé? If he hadn't been so stupid as to get fall down the sidewalk… asphalt hurts, ya know!" A hint of a smile appeared on his face. Naminé couldn't believe Sora actually thought the cover story Riku had thought up of was the truth.

As she nodded grimly, she was glad Riku had called the Hikari twins' mom and made up the story before Roxas could spill about Kairi. Roxas had been walking down the sidewalk to see Kairi off after they finished their project, and he'd tripped and that's why there was blood and scars all over him. He'd managed to keep the blonde's ruined back a secret – there was no way he could think up a lie for that one. How did Riku know about the incident was what Naminé had asked when she saw the silver-haired teen that morning. He'd merely said Roxas had called him, told him the situation, and told him to help make up a lie. Naminé doubted it, but, however he knew, she was sure Riku wasn't doing any harm.

Sora wrapped an arm around her as they stopped at her locker. Naminé fumbled to unlock it, getting it open after several tries and pulling out her textbook, while Sora whistled jovially beside her. When she slammed the door closed, she was surprised to see Riku casually leaning against the locker on her right.

"Hey, Riku," she greeted. Sora stepped up next to the girl and gave a terse nod.

Riku didn't respond to her greeting. "Have you seen Kairi today?"

Naminé felt taken aback by the terse way her responded. No, she hadn't seen Kairi today – and she was actually glad for it. "No. Why?"

Riku turned, glancing pointedly at the other end of the hallway as the class-changing din started to lower ominously, and when glass shattered, the whole hallway grew silent, every eye trained on that slender, malicious, demented girl who had just smashed the window at the edge of the hallway.

Naminé gaped as she peeked around him, her eyes wide as she saw Kairi, thought it took a moment to register that it was her twin. Her hair, bloodied and limp, hung around her face in wet tangles. Bloodshot eyes added depth to a disoriented, twisted grimace of pain and hatred. Sweat made her clothes appear soaked and blood ran down her skin, marring her white tank top and shorts. Her scraggly breath and twitching as she held a baseball bat nearly scared Naminé to death, and as the glass started to cut into the redhead's bare feet, leaving a pool of red blood where she stood.

As she started down the hallway on unsteady feet, making horrible soft moans, her free hand rose to her throat, scratching it. It was ripped apart so badly her fingernails almost seemed to be only tearing the blood and muscle underneath her pale skin.

The late bell rang. Nobody moved.

Naminé could only follow Kairi with her eyes as her trails of blood followed the deranged girl across the hallway. She knew Kairi was crazy, but this… what had she been doing, torturing herself? Naminé glanced at Riku warily. What did Riku know about Kairi that he didn't tell her?

Kairi had reached another window, one where two girls in her grade cowered. Not acknowledging them in the slightest, she raised her bat, the shatter resounding throughout the hallway, glass raining over the girls' heads as their screams pierced the air.

Naminé raised a trembling hand to her mouth in a gasp. She couldn't form any tangible thoughts. This was… weird. Crazy. How many times was she going to say crazy?

Then she remembered: her sister was possessed.

Kairi turned away from them, leaving the girls crying in pain, as she made her way down the hallway, growing ever closer to the small group where Naminé, Riku, and Sora stood.

She took slow steps, her breath growing louder, and Naminé could almost make out two words.

"I'm sorry" her lips said.

_Sorry?_

But before Naminé could start to wonder who she was apologizing to, Sora had ran up and thrown himself out in front of his friend, shaking her shoulders and staring into her blank eyes. "Kairi! Kairi, what's –"

She pushed him away to the side effortlessly, as if he were nothing more than a fly on the wall. Sora slammed against the lockers, hard, groaning slightly and blinking as if he were about to pass out.

Kairi kept on for only a moment more, stopping and dropping the bat with a _clang_ only a few feet parallel from Naminé and Riku. The bloody bat rolled to her feet, and Naminé winced as the smell of blood rose to hernose.

"It… hurts… I'm… _sorry_…" Kairi nearly screamed, clawing at her throat once more as she tried to balance herself. Naminé saw Riku lean in slightly out of the corner of her eye. With a jolt she realized what Riku was doing. Since Kairi was possessed, might this be the moment that confirmed it? That Xion and her necklace were making Kairi do these things? She was so up in arms about Roxas's she'd nearly forgotten Kairi. If she knew it was Xion that was possessing her sister, Naminé – and hopefully Riku as well – could end this once and for all.

She listened, not at all surprised by what she heard.

"Xion-sama… I'm sorry! _I'm sorry!_ _Xion-sama…!"_

She knew she saw Riku's eyes flare. But maybe she was only imagining it.

But the big thing was that she'd – sort of – figured it out. Xion, the girl who killed her twin sister, Aqua because of jealousy and revenge, was possessing Kairi through the necklace Aqua had given her for her birthday. Kairi and Naminé were also twins, and Kairi similarly seemed to have an envious streak around her sister. The similarities were uncanny, that much was clear. All she needed now was a reason why.

She felt Kairi's eyes on her as her mind raced when piece by piece of the puzzle clicked into place. _Do I dare glance up_, the blonde thought, though she did anyway, her clear blue eyes locking on Kairi's darkened ones. Her sister spoke then, one ominous word that sent Naminé nearly reeling –

"Demon."

As Kairi lunged, Naminé started to dodge. Riku, faster than she'd ever seen him, was in front of her, spiraling around Kairi quick as lightning and striking her on the back so that the redhead landed, hard, flat on her face. As Kairi struggled to compose herself, Riku said, as if repeating lines from a play, "Don't let her control you, Kairi. Fight it. You know this isn't you."

"You don't know what's not me, Riku," Kairi sneered, flipping over and sitting up as her face contorted wickedly. "For all you know, _I_ could be the one who decided this! You ever thought about that? _Huh?" _Kairi giggled crazily, "Don't try to mess me up with your little mind games. Xion's told me all about them and when you used that trick of yours on her, but as for me, it'll _never_ work!"

Naminé pretended she didn't just hear that. How in the world would Riku be able to use his so called "mind games" on Xion when they weren't even alive at the same time?

Riku leered at her, almost jokingly, as she stood, ready to strike at him. But it took nothing more than one quickly timed strike on the back of Kairi's head to knock her out, her bloody body falling limp in Riku's arms. He looked up at Naminé. "Come on, let's get her to the clinic."

"But—"

"I'll explain when we get there," he replied, already running past the many gaping students. "Get Sora. Come on!"

Naminé glanced across the hall at Sora, who was just starting to stand up. Without a second thought, Naminé walked over to him, grabbed his hand, pulled him up with a jerk, and started dragging him down the hallway in the direction Riku had gone.

"Wha-?" Sora mumbled sleepily as he ran shakily along. "What happened? Where are we going? Where's Riku and Kairi?"

"I'll explain when we get there," Naminé replied, echoing the words of the enigmatic silver-haired boy who had a _lot_ of explaining to do.

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><p><em>~Friday, October 28<em>_th__, Destiny Islands High School clinic, 2:12 p.m.~_

"Kai? _Possessed?_ Hah, you almost got me there!"

Naminé crossed her legs at her ankles daintily as she sat on the bench outside the clinic, looking down and away from Sora. She knew outright telling him about Kairi's condition would only lead to the brunette denying the fact. But Riku had been so straightforward, so serious about it when he said it, if it had been Naminé in Sora's position, she would have believed him instantly.

Then again, maybe she wouldn't have, considering she never thought ghosts and possession were real things, not something out of fairy tales.

"I'm not kidding, Sora," she heard Riku say. "I'm serious. What other explanation do you think there could be?"

"Multiple personality disorder? Schizophrenia? She's bipolar?" Sora stood and shook his head, backing away. "I always knew you were a crazy genius, Riku, but this is way out of my league. Possession… it's just…" He paused. Naminé winced. "It's ridiculous. Right, Nami?"

Naminé swallowed and kept silent. She wanted to retaliate. She wanted to get Sora to see Riku was not lying. But her words were lost as soon as they had filled her head.

With a sigh, Sora turned around and put his hand on the clinic door, tensing as he did so. "You believe him, huh? Whatever… what Kairi needs is mental help, and not to be hanging around people like Riku. I wish… I wish you could see that, Naminé."

The blonde looked up into Sora's dulled blue eyes for a mere second before he opened the clinic door and slammed it behind him.

Naminé looked back down again, pushing Sora's rejection out of her mind and focusing on the big picture: Riku. He wasn't just the smart boy who aced nearly every class and knew a bit more than normal people about ghosts; he was something more than that. Unable to think of any questions, Naminé started off with a statement.

"You have a lot to explain, Riku."

"I know." He said this nonchalantly, as if he was expecting this moment.

Naminé bit her lip. "I mean… you were so _calm_ out there. Talking to Kairi and watching her and knocking her out and stuff. You weren't even _scared._ It was like you'd done this before."

Riku gave a chuckle. "I have. A little over 200 times, counting Kairi."

"W-what?" Naminé's head snapped up, her eyes trained on Riku with a hard glare. _What does he mean?_

He dodged her question. "Now this part… the explaining… I've never had to do with anyone. Except you."

"What are you talking about, Riku? What did Kairi mean when she said that Xion's told her about your 'mind games'? You two weren't even alive… at the same time." As she trailed off, her voice went down to a tiny squeak. "Tell me everything."

"You wouldn't believe me."

Naminé smiled jokingly devilishly at him. "Try me."

Riku nodded, reaching into his back pants pocket and pulling out a crumpled, black-and-white photo and setting it in Naminé's lap. The blonde looked down at the picture, seeing a girl with short cropped black hair in a style similar to Aqua's. But the girl was too short to be the gentle ghost she'd met. So it had to be Xion. Xion was smiling, her arms clasped loosely around the neck of a lighter haired boy with long, spiky locks. The way he stared into the camera with those piercing eyes and barely any hint of emotion on his face was all it took for Naminé to realize.

_That's… Riku?_

"But—you—how—that was fifty years ago!" Naminé sputtered, her face growing hot as the picture fell from her lap. "You—her – I am so confused."

Riku patted her leg gently, his green eyes soft when they met her face. "I was her boyfriend. We were both sixteen. I loved her, more than I thought I would ever love a girl with such a feisty attitude as her. Those were the days, the days before she started to hate her twin – who you already know as Aqua – and mentally crumble because of being so terribly jealous. I broke up with her the day before she killed her sister. She was hysterical, practically drowning in her tears when I turned my back and walked away from her house. Sometimes I wonder if I had stayed with her until the end, she might have held on just a little bit longer…" He wiped away the tears collecting in his eyes.

"I'm sorry… Riku." She could only stare at him. Xion, the revengeful ghost that was driving her sister mad with hatred, was Riku's girlfriend at one point. That was a shock. A big shock. She grasped his hand and rubbed his palm with her thumb like he had done to her a week before. "How… how old are you, Riku?"

"Physically sixteen. Mentally I'm just a few years shy of a century." Before Naminé could ask how, he kept on. "Xion hated me after that, obviously. She hated me and Aqua so much that day she died. I don't know how she did it, but… when I was in bed early on the morning of her death, I could hear her calling my name, softly, but so angrily. In the darkness I could see her spirit, bloody, her face wildly crazy, her cleaver tight in her hands." He was silent for a few minutes, and Naminé nearly jumped when she heard his voice again. "She killed me. I woke up later, I don't know how much later. The same time, just in a different place. It was weird, because I knew I was dead. But I wasn't dead. I went and enrolled in school like nothing had happened."

Naminé pulled her hand away, noticing his had started to grow cold and shaky. Or was that her hand? She breathed in and out deeply, trying to pull herself together.

Riku wiped his eyes again. "That first time, I could still see Xion. Taunting sweet nothings in my ear everywhere I went. There would be times when she was gone, and I never thought anything about it until I heard two girls – twins – were killed. I knew it was her. It had to be. And they'd always be girls or boys at my school. And whenever the twins of that… time died, she'd come after me and kill me. And I'd wake up somewhere new again. I slowly began to notice a pattern. I'd die, wake up in a new place, see one twin succumb to insanity, the other I'd hear was killed, and then I'd die. New place. Over and over and over for the past several decades."

"You're trapped," Naminé concluded, "and Kairi and I are just part of the cycle of Xion's…" She struggled to think of a word. "… Xion's curse."

"That's one way of putting it." Riku smiled at her. "But this time is different. With you and Kairi, this is the first time the other twin has had the strength to fight back against Xion's controlling of his or her sibling."

"You mean me?" She pointed to herself.

"You."

Naminé smiled. It felt good to be special. She wanted all of this to end though. Riku's endless pain of having to relive the same life over and over because of his deceased girlfriend. She didn't want Riku to suffer; she didn't want anymore twins to suffer. "What can I do to help break the cycle?"

"Defeat Xion. Destroy that necklace of hers. Hopefully without getting you or Kairi killed. I'll be free, and Xion will be able to move on instead of being trapped in her self-created agony."

"Would you help me? Please? When I have to face my sister? I'm not sure if I can go through this…" Naminé sighed. "All by myself."

"I'll do the best that I can, I swear." The sun's rays lowered onto Riku's hair and made the silver shine with an ethereal glimmer. "Even if we don't succeed…"

"Oh, we will," Naminé said defiantly, standing up and glaring down at him. "We have to. Xion's not going to win against you, my sister, me… anyone else. Never again."

Riku only looked up into her blue eyes and smiled. "Then let's make it happen."

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><p><strong>Reviews are appreciated! Check out my profile for information on the sequel!<strong>

**~Lukia**


	9. Death Waltz

**The last chapter is here~! This chapter was so much fun to write! I hope you guys enjoy it and it hope it brings a big surprise!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em>~Monday, October 31<em>_st__, Mizu residence, Naminé's room, 1:26 a.m.~_

Naminé couldn't sleep.

All weekend she'd been tossing and turning, waking up screaming from horrible nightmares of _that day_, and today was no different. After dragging herself home from school, bleary-eyed and trembling, and collapsing into bed right after dinner, she had woken up shrieking her lungs out, covered in sweat, her heart ramming into her chest, the terrible sound of the baseball bat beating her to death still ringing in her ears. Fitfully she tried to go back to sleep. It hadn't happened, and fact that Kairi was right across the hallway only served to scare her more.

Gripping her sheets and pulling them over her head, Naminé shivered and realized how alone she actually was. The students who'd seen Kairi go insane that day didn't seem to remember any of the incident – or were trying not to; her parents were oblivious; Roxas was hurt because of her, so he was out of the question as solace; and Sora didn't want to hear it. She only had Riku. And Aqua. Maybe not even her.

Aqua. She felt bad for her, the poor girl. Aqua wasn't trapped on Earth like Riku was; she was free to travel between Earth and whatever other place spirits went when they died. But still, she wondered how Aqua could stand the fact that her poor sister was still suffering even though she was dead. Naminé wondered how many times Aqua had sent notes to other twins like herself, struggling against Xion and her spiteful ways. Maybe Aqua would help her if and when she had to face Kairi. It'd make her feel a lot better that the blue-haired twin was on her side.

Naminé felt something on her sheet. She reached out of the shelter of her covers and grabbed the object, pulling it back under in seconds. It was another note. _Why am I not surprised._

_Xion and Kairi want to meet you at your school's basement tonight, _it read. _I suggest you not go, but you can't avoid them forever…You can do this, Naminé. Xion's hurting terribly and I want nothing more than for her to be free from her pain. That necklace of hers – it's what's she attached herself to to keep herself on Earth. Destroy that, and it'll be over. Don't get sidetracked. Don't let her get into your head. You can break the cycle. Believe in yourself. If not for anyone else, do this for Riku. You can keep your sister alive and still save him – and yourself. I'm counting on you._

_~Aqua_

Naminé threw off the covers, grabbed the phone by her bed, and dialed Riku's number. He picked up on the first ring.

"It's time."

"Let's go," she said, confidently.

"Meet you by the school basement door in ten."

She clicked off and nearly flew out of the room, glad she had gone to sleep wearing clothes. Down the stairs she ran, going out the unlocked front door and grabbing the knife she placed by the doormat – just in case. She paused for a moment to catch her breath and then took off down her driveway, her blonde hair flying behind her, going as fast as she could.

_Let the dance begin._

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><p><em>~Monday, October 31<em>_st__, Destiny Islands High School, Basement Hallway A, 1:38 a.m.~_

The flashlight Naminé gripped pervaded the darkness with it light, casting eerie shadows across the walls and floor. Cold tremors wracked her body as she walked, her footsteps casting echoes on the concrete, and she was glad Riku was there to support her, to hold her hand as she tried to make her way through the inky blackness. She was scared. Scared out of her mind. There was no way she could do this. No way. If Kairi was any more mentally unstable than she was a few days ago, Naminé was sure she would have a heart attack before she even got a chance to make a move.

"Don't be so tense, Nami," Riku reassured, stepping over a pile of stray spiral notebooks in the hallway as he rolled his flashlight around in his hand. "We'll get through this. Don't be scared."

Something moved behind her. A sort of scratching sound filled the air. Naminé whimpered in fear. "What was… that?"

"Dunno… is it getting colder in here to you?" Riku whispered as they turned a corner, being so thrown into darkness that Naminé couldn't see two feet front of her. She could, however, feel that there was a dead end just in front of them. Maybe she'd luck out and Kairi wouldn't be down there. Then she could go home…

"Naminé?"

"Oh, uh. I guess," she replied, that dead end leering ominously in front of her as the two stopped merely feet from the door. It was bloodstained, the wood stripped away in places. Naminé winced when Riku put his hand on the tattered bark, closing his eyes and breathing deeply.

"Here."

Naminé nodded solemnly, glancing back and fort between Riku and the door. She didn't want to die. She was only fifteen, not even half her life was over yet! If she died, she just hoped she wasn't a horrid a ghost as Xion.

But… Kairi wouldn't kill her, would she?

She had started to ponder this fact when she noticed Riku had been silent for quite some time, his hand still pressed against the door. What was he even doing? "Riku?" Naminé whispered.

"I can't go in with you."

That moment was when Naminé started to really get scared. There was no way she was going in there alone. If she went in there alone, she just knew she wasn't going to come out in one piece… or not at all. "W-why not?"

"Xion won't let me." He took his hand off the door and glared into Naminé's eyes in his regular piercing way. "She says I can't die just yet. Whatever that means, since she's going to kill me anyway… Naminé, I'm sorry." To the girl's surprise, Riku pulled her into a hug, not a tight hug, but a sort of half hug that conveyed affection. "You're gonna have to go at this alone. But when you come out, with the both of you alive – which I know you will – meet me for some ice-cream before my crazy girlfriend dismembers me, alright?" He pulled back, a hint of a smile on his face.

Naminé stared slightly open-mouthed at him. "Okay, Riku. I'll… I'll do that." With visible effort, she smiled back. She hoped she could keep that promise.

Riku gazed down into her pure blue eyes at one last attempt at saying a 'goodbye, for now'. Then he turned on one heel and walked away, his footsteps echoing down the hallway until he turned the corner and could no longer be heard.

Naminé turned to the door, trembling visibly. At least she was ready for this. She had a knife. She had her flashlight. And she had her strong determination to get out alive – with Kairi too. Riku and Aqua were right; she could do this. Her hand reached for the dull door handle.

Slowly, the door creaked open by itself.

She froze. Out of the room before her came a little light, obviously coming from the corner of the room. The door was barely open so she couldn't see much more than that – her eyes landed on bloody whips. Probably the very same that had whipped Roxas to near death that night. She swallowed, hard, putting one small foot in the door. Then the other foot. Her hands. Her body, her head moving not far behind.

The door slammed.

Naminé gazed at the chamber laid out before her. There were the whips in the corner again; the few nearly empty bottles of rubbing alcohol lying next to them. In the other corner laid several knives and a tazer, a flickering light serving to highlight this area of the room. A shadow of a human-sized cross leaned crookedly against a stray table in the dark corner nearest to the door. Other than that, the room was entirely bare, save for the blood on the walls.

Naminé looked up, trying not to look. She could only wonder… where was Kairi?

"You came, my sister."

Her head snapped down. Kairi looked no worse than she had on Friday, her neck still a bloody mess, scars still marring her arms. Her outfit had not even changed, and the room now reeked with the smell of blood. In her hand she gripped a cleaver tightly, her eyes trained on Naminé's own.

Naminé squeaked, "Kairi… all I want to know is why."

"Why? _Why?" _Kairi's voice rose quickly to the point of shrieks. "You_ do_ all this to me, you make me go through _so_ much pain, and all you can say is _why?" _She sneered maliciously.

"I haven't done anyt—"

"I'll tell you why, you demon," she kept on as if Naminé hadn't spoke. "Because you've always looked me over. You've always relegated me to such a lower position, just because you get higher grades, and you're such a goody two-shoes. You've always been the best of the best. And _I'm sick of it!" _

"Kai—"

"But, boy, am I glad I found Xion's necklace before you did." Kairi laughed crazily, beginning to pace the room. "You wouldn't be able to handle her offer. You see, Xion went through the exact same thing with her twin, Aqua. She said she'd help me. Help me get to the point where I can wipe you off the face of the planet and finally claim the rightful spot that I deserve!"

That's when it clicked with Naminé: Xion had twisted Kairi's mind so much that she believed things about their relationship that never even happened. Kairi was partially right – Naminé was better academically, socially, and with her talent of drawing, and yes, Kairi had gotten a bit upset at some points about that – but wasn't that part of growing up and learning how to deal with each other as twin sisters? Kairi was terribly jealous of Naminé, but for the wrong reasons. Just like Xion. And now Kairi wanted to settle the score.

"Look, Kai." Naminé took a deep breath and started talking. "You don't have to do this. You don't have to kill me. We can both make it out of here alive and settle our differences – without Xion making you believe our relationship is as bad as she's making it sound. Come on, Kairi." She held out a trembling hand, ready to end this peacefully. It probably wouldn't work, but hey, she figured it was worth a shot. "Let's get out of here. Just hand me that necklace and –"

Kairi's rage-filled scream pierced the air at that second as she pounced at her twin, that knife inching dangerously close to the blonde's neck. Naminé dodge-rolled, sheathing her own knife and looking up into the crazed eyes of her sister. She shouldn't have even tried mentioning taking the necklace. She could see it now, glowing as it hung from her sister's neck. If only she could get it—

"You will die! I swear it on my life!" Kairi grabbed Naminé's shoulders roughly and slammed her into the wall where the cross rested. The sane twin could feel the wood piercing into her bare arms and the blood running down to her hands in rivulets. She suddenly went dizzy, as Kairi had grabbed her neck and was slowly increasing the pressure, and she used the hand with the knife to stab her twin in the thigh. It served its purpose, as Kairi let go and screamed, allowing Naminé to catch her breath.

"K-Kai… Please… Stop…" Naminé choked out, gripping the bloody knife as the vertigo started to clear.

"Not until I can hold your cold, dead body in my hands."

And suddenly Naminé heard that unmistakable noise – the noise of electricity crackling like a fire. Kairi had gotten her tazer. Naminé gazed once at the killing object, gripped her knife tighter, and stood to her full height. If she was going to die, she wasn't going down without a fight. "You wanna dance, Kai? Let's dance."

And thusly began the waltz of death, as the two girls moved swiftly around the room in a graceful cat-and-mouse ballet. The tazer struck Naminé once, twice when she tried to dodge, but the electricity renewed her strength and let her shove her twin away, as she tried to chip away the crazed girl's energy piece by piece with little strikes of her knife. However, neither girl seemed to be getting the upper hand. Blood flew and spattered the walls, and Naminé thought she might break her own eardrums as she screamed when Kairi resorted back to her cleaver again. This dance was like her nightmares, the back-and-forth chase of the sisters. And it was seemingly ending just like them, as Naminé started to tire from the fight and Kairi began to wound her even more with larger and larger strikes.

At one point Kairi was advancing to Naminé who was against the door. The blonde cowered, holding her knife straight out, the tip aiming toward Kairi's stomach. If she could only manage to wound her sister enough to make her pass out, but not kill her… She closed her eyes and hoped for the best.

"I warned you," Kairi said, her breath hard and ragged. "I told you it would come to this. But your superior mind refused to listen. Now, you will pay for all those years, those years of pain I had to endure. Goodbye, my sister."

And when she ran toward Naminé, cleaver in hand, screaming, the sound cutting off when the knife tore through her flesh, Naminé was sure that's she'd hit her target. But the position felt wrong. Her arm was too high…

Naminé opened her eyes and saw the blade plunged into her sister's heart.

She couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. Couldn't speak. _Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh. _Her hand did as she told it to and let go of the knife, the already-dead Kairi falling backward so that those blank eyes stared right into Naminé's.

She had – really and truly – just killed her sister.

Naminé stood silently and gazed at the corpse, the necklace still glowing. She couldn't cry. Just couldn't. She was in too much shock. Slowly, she bent down and pulled the necklace from her sister's neck, tossing it back and forth between her hands. There wasn't really anything to destroy the necklace with around the torture chamber – Naminé knew that much. But how in the world was she going to live with herself, knowing that she killed her sister? She slipped the necklace on and tied the clasp on the back on her neck, looking up to gaze around the room, now that her hands were free.

But her eyes almost immediately moved back to the star-shaped pendant with the glowing jewel in the middle, hanging brightly from her neck. It really was pretty … her mind grew numb, and she wondered briefly why she had wanted to destroy it in the first place.

_You wouldn't want to get rid of this beautiful piece of jewelry, right? It used to be mine, you know. I can help you decide what to do._

She listened to the sweet girl's voice in her head and realized the necklace wasn't all that bad. She kind of liked how it looked on her. Looking down at Kairi's face, she saw those once blank eyes had turned to catlike slits and a creepy smile loomed up at her.

Naminé near careened back into the door, her hands reaching to scratch at her suddenly itchy neck, her heart pounding dangerously hard into her chest. Kairi was dead… but she was trying to come back. To kill her for killing her. That was not Kairi anymore. No. That was some demon was gazing at her with its crazy eyes. She could feel the cleaver being raked across her skin and she screamed, so terrified. What had driven her to kill this girl? Maybe she was nothing more than a demon herself…

_You think you deserve death?_

"Yes…" Naminé whispered, standing and not looking at the face that she knew was out for her life. She'd killed Kairi. She was worthy of nothing less. But something, something more important tickled at the back of her mind…

_Let me help you, Naminé..._

Naminé froze. She suddenly knew that voice. That was the same voice, Xion's voice, which had nearly lured out of bed the first night in the rental house. Aqua had said not to listen to her, to not let Xion into her head… but why? Aqua had done so much to hurt her sister, and she died as well. And Xion was going to help her. She didn't have to die alone. But she had to atone for her murder.

She walked over to the wall opposite the cross, and took the knife and shoved the handle into the wall. She knew this was how it had to be. If only she had listened to her sister's pain, she wouldn't have to go through this now.

_You really, truly believe suicide will make up for your sin?_

Naminé nodded, her eyes downcast. She kind of wished she could say sorry to Riku for not coming out alive. But Riku had hurt Xion so much too, hadn't he? He would hate her anyway, for killing Kairi.

She gripped the short blade with a trembling hand. _It's what has to be done._

Her body moved to shove the knife into that soft spot under her temple. She rammed the knife into her head repeatedly, coughing up blood and splattering the warm, sticky substance on the wall with each strike. So this was what death felt like. But she wasn't hurting. She was doing this because she wanted to… for the raven-haired girl who had helped her to reach that decision.

As she fell on the hardwood floor, that bloody knife still protruding from the wall, the blood pooled around her hair and spilled onto the ground, mingling with the wood and tainting it. And if you listened close enough, you could almost hear a high, maniacal girl's laugh that promised horror and fear in all who heard it.

And somewhere, somewhere high in the sky on that cursed day, the cicadas started to cry their mourning song.

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><p><strong>Anticlimax for the win! XD You guys probably thought Namine was going to succeed, huh? Well, if she did, there wouldn't be a sequel... But this story isn't over yet! The epilogue will be here soon!<strong>

**Merry Early Christmas! Reviews are appreciated!**

**~Lukia**


	10. Epilogue, Love

**So here's the epilogue, in Riku's third person POV. Hop you enjoy it~**

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><p><em>~Wednesday, November 23<em>_rd__, Hanabira Graveyard, 8:06 a.m.~_

Riku Kagayami had somehow found himself standing in front of Kairi and Naminé's graves again.

This was why when he went on morning walks, he never left the house without being absolutely sure of where he was going. If he decided to wander aimlessly, his feet carried him here.

So here he was.

The graves were still adorned with flowers from the funeral several weeks ago; however, most of the plants were dying and wilted, and the cold, cloudy day would soon finish off the remaining blossoms. Riku had been amazed how many people had come to the female twins' funeral procession. In all of his lifetimes, there had never been more than a few families. The girls' had nearly 150 mourners.

Riku sighed, replaying in his head what Xion had told him about Kairi and Naminé's fight to the death. He really had hoped Naminé would pull through for him. He wondered _why _Naminé had let Xion into her head, let her drive the blonde to kill herself. Riku knew Naminé was smarter than that. But with a twinge he also realized she was an artist. _Artists like to have their hands free, _he thought. _She probably put the necklace on after she accidently killed Kairi_.

"Damn, Naminé." Riku muttered, shivering slightly in the cold of late fall. If only Xion wasn't so stubborn and had let him go in with Naminé…

But he was going to be dead soon anyway, whisked off to yet another life, so it really didn't matter.

However, Riku found it odd that Xion hadn't brutally tortured and murdered him yet. It'd been a near month since she'd wrapped her malicious fingers around the girls… that was an unusually long time for him to go being alive in one place. Maybe his girlfriend was being nice for once. He doubted it.

"… to come back again, Roxas?"

"I'm sorry, Sora. But… this is the only way I can feel close to her."

"I understand."

Riku heard the Hikari twins' voices behind him and he walked away from the tombstones, moving against the wind and standing a far distance away from them. He didn't want to get caught up in idle chatter with those two. He watched them walk up the hill to the adjacent, marble graves. Roxas dropped to his knees and placed white carnations among the rotting plants, while Sora hung back and only stared off into space.

A glint caught Riku's eye. The silverette squinted slightly, trying to focus his vision. What was that hanging from Roxas's belt?

"You're kidding me," he whispered as he realized. It was Xion's necklace. How had Roxas gotten hold of it? Someone – _probably those idiot detectives_ – had given it to Roxas a keepsake of Naminé's. _But it was Kairi's in the first place… just because Naminé had it at the scene didn't mean it was hers!_

A note floated out of the sky and landed at Riku's feet. He picked it up, trying to sort out how he was going to get the necklace away from Roxas while reading it. The first thing he recognized was Xion's distinct curly handwriting.

_I'm not going to kill you… yet._

Now Riku was confused. Xion wasn't going to kill him… but why? It was definitely time for him to move on. He looked back and forth between Sora and Roxas and the note. Roxas had the necklace… and Xion wasn't going to kill him yet. Then it clicked.

_So that's why she's not going to kill me. Because her next set of victims are right in front of me._

"Well that's just great." Riku's eyes darkened. Once Xion chose her victims, Riku couldn't interfere. That meant he was stuck here for who knows how much longer, and he wasn't going to get that necklace away from Roxas. _That means I have to get to Sora before Roxas goes nuts._

Another note floated down. He reached for it, crumpling the first one tight in his hand.

_Beware the ides of March._

"What?" Riku thought out loud, rereading the note. Ides… what the heck did ides mean? At least he knew to beware March – that might be the time when Xion decided to snap Roxas's sanity in two. He might as well get a head start on preparing Sora for what was to come, if he even believed it. He had to. Or else the brunette would have less of a chance than Naminé on surviving. He looked up, his eyes scanning the area for the twins.

They were gone.

Riku sighed again. Oh well. He had a good few months, but moments were of the essence when it came to Xion and her antics. Still, he'd find some way to do some time killing – such as researching the origin of Xion's message.

The sun peeked out of the clouds all of a sudden. Maybe that was a sign. A sign that he might be able to break free from Xion's curse. He held up the first, crumpled note to the sun, the light streaming through with promise.

_Though someone I love so much trapped me here, I will break free._

A gust came through and he let the paper loose from his hand, flying away into the sun to never be seen again.

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><p>私はいつもあなたの愛が痛みにつながると知っていた。<p>

_{I always knew your love would lead to pain.}_

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><p><strong>It's done you guys! *applause* My first completed multi chapter story ever~ I couldn't have done this without my awesome reviewers:<strong>

**Witch of Tragedies,**

**JayDex,**

**piratejackfan,**

**Taeniaea,**

**OuiSexSi,**

**and last but not least, overreactiveteenagemindsxo! I love you all and thanks for the support! And to those who favorited, thanks to you as well!**

**For now, I'm going to get my thoughts together about the sequel, Darkest Eternity, which will probably be out, at the earliest, Febuary 2012. So make sure you add me to Author Alerts so you know when the sequel comes out!**

**I'm not just going to stop writing during that time though. I'll probably be around the Final Fantasy fandom and posting one-shots there!~**

**And also! Two trailers are up on my Youtube account, one for this story, and one is a bridge trailer (connects this story and the sequel). The link is in my profile, and I'd love it if you'd check them out!**

**So to conclude, thanks again to you all, and I'll see you when the sequel is out!**

**Sincerely yours,**

**Oerba Dia Lukia :)**


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